Burn My Regret
by Angevon
Summary: In association with the Kirijo Group, Souji Seta transfers to Gekkoukan High for his senior year, told to be on the lookout for Shadow activity. He pieces together the truth about those who came before him and the events of three years past... while the Shadows draw ever closer.
1. Chapter 1 - In the Shadows

[AN: This story takes place after "One More! (Murder)" – a Souji and Investigation Team story that I wrote. It's not required reading, but this story will contain references to events from it. I'd be happy if you read it!~

This story is essentially a love letter to Persona 3: FES. As such, I recommend playing the game (it's available on the PlayStation Network; it's on sale for $5 fairly often) or finding a Let's Play of it somewhere and experiencing it first before reading this story. The story will not make complete sense without Persona 3's context.

As a result, the story contains **massive spoilers for the ending to Persona 3 and The Answer.** It also has major spoilers for Persona 4 and Persona 4 Arena.

I wrote this before P4Ultimax and Dancing All Night came out in English, so the story doesn't take into account anything that happens in it. (This means Ken Amada's puberty is delayed. Imagine him as he was in P3, please, haha.)

The canon I'm using will be the games, not the anime(s). P4A events will be mentioned using the manga as canon. Persona 3 events have occurred with a male protagonist using the name Minato Arisato.

I only tagged the most important characters. A lot of other characters will be in it (such as the Investigation Team) but mostly as cameos/support.

There's no real romance involved here, but there might be some subtext. I'll leave it up to you to decide!

The story is completely written, but I'll post it in segments to do some last-minute proofing and formatting. It is 19 chapters in total.

Thanks to Soma for making me love Persona so much, for proofing, for support, and for so many ideas! It wouldn't be half as good without him!~]

* * *

"Would it be possible for me to join the Shadow Operatives?"

Souji Seta gripped his cell phone tensely, still waiting for Mitsuru-san's response to his rather abrupt question. Without seeing her in person, it was difficult to know her reaction, but a silence this long was less than promising. Was it an unreasonable request? Had he crossed a line somehow in asking it?

When the woman finally spoke, it startled him into clenching the phone tighter, and he almost accidentally ended the call. "We would be glad to have you, Seta," she said. "However, you are still a high school student, yes? Our high school age members are usually orphans. This grants them an amount of freedom that others do not have. It would not be easy to obtain a transfer for you should your parents disagree."

School... That's right. He'd have to go back to school when summer vacation was over. Hanging out with his friends in Inaba every day during the month-long break, it was easy to forget that his final year in high school was already upon him. Once he had prided himself on being the top of his class, but recent events made motivation elusive; grades now seemed insignificant. He hadn't studied at all so far this summer, and he honestly had no plans to. He'd probably wait until the last day to do his summer homework.

His parents had refused to let him stay another year in Inaba, despite his pleas. "We haven't seen you in a year, Souji!" his mother had said. "You simply must come home with us!" He was too old to throw a temper tantrum, not that that had ever worked for him even as a child. Now, when his mother wasn't talking about the time she and his father had spent overseas, she was talking about colleges and entrance exams...

"That's right..." he managed to choke out, poorly masking his disappointment. "I'm a third-year. My family wouldn't make it easy..." He couldn't imagine approaching his mother with a request to leave the private school he was currently enrolled in. She had hand-picked it for him based on its reputation... another reason she wouldn't let him remain in Inaba.

Mitsuru-san did not seem to sense his dejection. "...Judging from the events during Golden Week, you're not that easily dissuaded, are you? Perhaps something can be done. We are located in Tatsumi Port Island. I recall that it's not too far from Inaba by train. Are you free some day this week? I would like to speak with you in person."

He could hardly contain his excitement. To meet with the leader of the Shadow Operatives...! "Thursday. I'm free then," he said. His friends had made plans to go to the movies tomorrow, but the day after that was wide open. He wondered if he'd even pay attention to the movie, now, with this to look forward to. "I'll see if I can get a ticket."

"Très bien!" She proceeded to give him the address. "I look forward to seeing you."

* * *

The air was different here. He'd noticed it immediately after stepping out of the train at Port Island Station. It was a potpourri of congestion, gasoline, and sweat, with a tinge of salt from the nearby ocean. The city was so much busier than Inaba, as evidenced by the dozens of bicycles chained to the racks, waiting for their owners to return for them at the end of the work day. The trains, he noticed, were scheduled to run during all hours of the day and night instead of shutting down around 10 pm like they did in the rural town.

Although Mitsuru-san had made no promises, Souji was in high spirits; it was refreshing to be in a place that held little nostalgia value to him. True, he'd been here before on a school trip last year, but it had only been two days that were mostly a blur. Hadn't he been forced to play a silly game with his friends? He vaguely remembered having to give Yosuke a piggy-back ride...

The Kirijo office was not far from the train station. It was an ordinary-looking building that spanned several stories. Everyone inside wore tailored suits, and Souji immediately felt under-dressed even in his nice white dress shirt and black pants. He should have brought his black blazer, but with the summer heat, he'd decided against it.

He went to the reception counter and introduced himself to the secretary sitting behind it. She printed him a visitor's pass and directed him to clip it to his shirt. She told him to take the elevator in the back to the penthouse.

He showed his pass to the muscular guard who stood before the hallway leading to the elevator and received a curt nod indicating he could continue on. A well-dressed woman was already waiting for the elevator. She didn't seem to have a pass, so Souji presumed that she worked here. A preoccupied man with glasses stepped out of the elevator when it arrived.

The woman riding with him in the elevator stopped on the third floor, and Souji curiously looked through the open doors, but it seemed to be an ordinary office. Cubicles lined either side of the hallway, and the smell of coffee filtered through to him before the elevator's doors closed.

The Kirijo Group was involved in so many things, from aerospace research to dentistry to everyday groceries to the development of new flavors of candy... If he remembered right, they owned significant stock in the Junes brand, too. There were probably dozens of office buildings just like this one all over the world, keeping the business flowing. It was a bit overwhelming to think that the heir to the Kirijo name was taking time out of her probably very busy schedule just to speak with him...

The elevator led him to a small anteroom. Large oak double-doors with the name "Kirijo" in fancy gold lettering stood before him. On either side of the doors were two large potted plants. There were no other decorations, nor was there anyone in sight. His feet sank in the plush white carpeting, which made him wonder if he should remove his shoes.

With some trepidation, he knocked on the door. After a few moments, it opened, and Mitsuru-san peered out at him. She smiled at him with recognition and opened the door wider, but since she was holding a cell phone to her ear, Souji shook his head and indicated he'd wait outside for her to finish the call. She waved him into the room anyway. "It'll only be a moment," she told him, covering the receiver with her hand. "Please, come in and have a seat."

While Mitsuru-san finished her phone conversation, Souji looked around the room. It was definitely high class, far above anything in his experience. The ceiling curved upwards, with gold trimming and flower-patterned paneling running along the tops of the walls. The walls themselves were colonnaded with elaborately carved golden lions positioned at the head of each column. Gold-gilded classical paintings decorated the walls between each column. The room was lit by a small chandelier that caught the eye as its crystal pendulums reflected the light. The carpeting, as in the anteroom, was lush and white, which set off the five red velvet armchairs that surrounded a small glass-topped table.

Knowing Mitsuru-san's penchant for utilizing French in her speech, Souji could almost imagine that he was visiting the Louvre.

But as he looked more closely, he noticed things that detracted from the overall elegance of the scene. Resting on the arm of the nearest armchair was a hand-held gaming console covered in baseball stickers. A laptop was open on the glass table, and next to it was a cup of coffee, a protein bar, a file folder, and two magazines, one about popular television and another about science and technology.

Upon closer inspection, one of the paintings on the wall was actually a photograph of Mitsuru-san and some others whom Souji did not recognize at first glance; its bronze plaque read "SEES 2009."

Three years ago... Souji looked at Mitsuru-san now. The last time he had seen her—just last month at the P-1 Grand Prix during Golden Week—she had been wearing a black skintight catsuit and a heavy white fur coat. Here, she wore more subdued clothing: a white long-sleeved blouse and a scarlet skirt reaching down to her knees that accentuated her long, red hair. Souji couldn't discern to whom she was speaking; she seemed to be wrapping up the call.

Mitsuru-san put the phone away and invited him once again to sit in one of the armchairs. She sat on the chair directly behind the laptop and snapped its lid closed to give him her complete attention. "Thank you for waiting," she said. "I'm glad you could make it, Seta. Would you like a drink?" She picked up the cup of coffee and took a small sip, then made a face. "Quel dommage, it's cold."

Souji politely declined. He was a bit uncomfortable in her presence. She reminded him somehow of Margaret. Perhaps it was the red lipstick, or her dignified bearing... or the bright fire of intelligence in her eyes. _Empress..._ he mouthed, and then snapped back to reality.

"Shall we get to business?" Mitsuru-san opened the file folder and took a page from it. "I researched your background. Please don't be alarmed. It's standard protocol after one of our own betrayed us some years ago. In fact, there was little to find... Your family moved often, so it was difficult to track. It's no matter; what happened before your awakening is of little interest to us, save the circumstances that led up to it."

"My awakening... my Persona?"

She nodded and glanced at the paper. "You transferred to Inaba in the spring of 2011 and 'awoke' mere days later. The series of murders there were Persona-related. You and your friends used your new powers to solve the mystery. I learned all this through Naoto Shirogane. He had much to say about you. You needn't be surprised—I called him myself. Since the events of Golden Week involved him, it's obvious he's your friend, and I knew he would be able to give me the most information."

"You could have asked me," Souji pointed out.

She smiled wryly, and he was reminded of Margaret once again. "Indeed, but I was unsure whether you'd be willing to talk about it. Shirogane seemed a safe option, since I have worked with him before. Speaking of Shirogane," – she leaned forward – "He is worried about you. Nine days ago, a Shadow killed a friend of yours, and it seems you haven't been the same since."

"Am I not allowed to grieve?" he complained. Nine days wasn't long at all, and he resented the implication that he should return to normal immediately.

"Of course," she replied without hesitation. "When my father passed, I grieved for several weeks, locking myself in my room—and my team managed without me. Take as long as you need, Seta. There is no shame in it."

Souji's face might have flushed with embarrassment—which was not common for him. He'd immediately been on the defensive... He hadn't meant to be, but the fact that she'd researched him had put him on guard from the start. "I'm sorry to hear that..."

"You never become used to losing friends..." she murmured. Her eyes took on a faraway look that lasted until she rubbed her face. "Pardon, but we are off topic. May I presume that your desire to join the Shadow Operatives stems from the incident this summer? Shirogane indicated that the Shadow targeted you specifically, perhaps due to your unique powers."

_My unique powers..._ Souji thought. He nodded. "Exactly. I can't ignore that Shadows exist, and that they want to destroy us. But I also want to be a step ahead of them, if it's possible. Or to seek them out, instead of waiting… waiting until someone is hurt, or killed..."

"I understand completely. That's what we're trying to do. Destroy malevolent Shadows, and make the world safe for ordinary people. I must admit my team could always use more Persona users. I would be very glad to have you... but there is still the problem that you're a high school student." Mitsuru-san stopped and smiled to herself with her eyes closed. "It's more than a little hypocritical of me to say that. I spent my final year of high school living a double life. I was the Student Council President by day, and an explorer of Tartarus at night..."

She stood up suddenly and walked over to the large glass doors at the back of the room.

She beckoned him to stand with her. "Let's take a short break." She looked through the glass doors, which provided an expansive overview of the city. She then rang a silver bell. One of the side doors opened, admitting a woman in a maid's uniform who wore a bored expression.

Mitsuru-san's gaze didn't waver. "Kikuno. Fresh coffee, please. Seta, would you like some as well?"

"Sure," he said after some internal debate.

"How would you like it, sir?" said the maid, Kikuno, in a voice that matched her expression.

"Umm... with cream, please." He liked his coffee with cream, but since his uncle had teased him about it—what are you, Nanako?—he'd had to start taking it black while living with the Dojimas for his pride.

Kikuno sighed, removed the cold coffee, and left the room.

An uncomfortable silence elapsed as Mitsuru-san continued to look over the city, but before Souji broke it himself, she began to speak. "Gekkoukan... You can see it from here. The gates are closed for summer..."

"The high school? I visited it on a school trip last September," he said, feeling the need to contribute somehow.

"Up until three years ago," she continued, "there existed a hidden hour of the day that began at midnight. We called it the Dark Hour. During this time, Gekkoukan High School morphed into a twisted, labyrinthine tower—Tartarus—filled with Shadows. My team and I made it our goal to reach the top, to discover why it was there and how to put an end to it and the Dark Hour. When I look at the school now, it's hard to imagine that it ever existed, and yet its memory still haunts my nightmares. I suppose the same might happen to you when you see a television, hmm?" She glanced at him sidelong.

"I..." he began.

The side door opened and Kikuno returned with a silver tray bearing two cups of coffee. She placed the tray on the glass table, curtsied to Mitsuru and Souji, and then dismissed herself.

Mitsuru-san's eyes lit up, and she almost eagerly returned to her seat. When she tried the coffee, however, she put it down with a sigh. "It's still cold. Mon dieu, Kikuno has spent too much time with Aigis."

Souji's coffee was piping hot, but he didn't mention it. "Why did you tell me that?" he asked, glancing back at where they had stood by the window.

"Yes, I suppose we should return to business," Mitsuru-san murmured. She pushed the cup farther away from her on the table, then looked directly at him. "That information is pertinent to the mission I would like to put you on. That is, if you would be willing to transfer to Gekkoukan High for your final school year."

He blinked in surprise. "Why there, if your team succeeded in its mission?" he asked.

"We put an end to the Dark Hour, yes, but I'm afraid that hasn't eliminated all Shadow activity in the area. Although we've seen nothing definitive, I'd be more comfortable knowing someone capable is on the site as the school reopens next month. Would you be willing to move once again?"

Deep inside, he'd been hoping she would find a way to send him back to Inaba so that he could spend his final year with all of his friends, perhaps continuing to investigate the TV World—but he knew that was impossible. At the same time... he was somewhat relieved that it couldn't happen. Outside of Inaba, he was removed from the TV World and its influence. No one else would have to die because of him...

"I know it's not an easy decision to make," she added. "You don't have to decide immediately."

"My family would be against it," he said. "I'm not sure I could convince them." He could convince the girls to go through with the beauty pageant that Yosuke had signed them up for, he could make an ailurophobe turn around and love cats, and he could convince a suicidal goddess that her life had meaning… but somehow his parents were a whole different story.

"Would a scholarship sponsored by the Kirijo Group help? Although it's not exactly a prestigious school, Gekkoukan is run by them. We would also provide lodging and meals."

His eyes widened. "You'd do that?"

Mitsuru-san's smile was as sly as a certain fox he knew...


	2. Chapter 2 - Gekkoukan Boogie

The end of summer came too quickly. Before Souji knew it, he was standing on Inaba's train platform, once again saying goodbye to his friends.

"Well, it's been good, partner," Yosuke said. He shook Souji's hand and held it a little longer than he probably meant to. He tried to blink away the unshed tears in his eyes, but Souji saw them anyway.

"Yeah, I'll... try to visit..." Souji said, but in truth he had no idea when. He hadn't told any of them he was now working for the Shadow Operatives. He might not have any free time, even during holidays.

"Culture Day is a Saturday this year," Yukiko suggested. "You could come here after school on Friday and stay the weekend. That is, if your school isn't planning a festival that day."

"I'll think about it," he promised.

"Keep in touch this time, Souji-kun! Sheesh, you never call anyone," Chie complained. "Do you have a phobia or something? We missed you all during first term."

"Yeah, Senpai! I'm sure as hell gonna call you," Kanji warned him. He punched his fist into his open palm. "You can't get away from us that easily!"

Souji smiled. "I appreciate it. Take care of Nanako-chan for me, okay? Don't worry, I plan to call her every week, at least."

"Of course," said Yosuke. "I know Teddie'll make sure she has enough Topsicles to last a lifetime, and then some."

The train departure announcement blared out, warning him that he needed to board. He gave his friends one last, sad smile before stepping through the train's doors. Like in the spring, they waved at him until the train was well out of sight...

* * *

For the last time in his life, Souji was the transfer student.

It was a strange thought, that this was the _last_ time he would change schools. It passed through his head as he entered classroom 3-A for the first time, following in the wake of his eccentric, samurai-helmeted homeroom teacher, Mr. Ono. He stood by the teacher's podium, waiting for the class to start, after having chalked his name onto the board. The room was already abuzz with activity as students talked to one another about what they had done over the summer break. A few students glanced at him with muted curiosity, but most were more interested in reconnecting with each other. It was the first day back, after all.

The bell rang, and Mr. Ono called for order. "We have a transfer student!" he boomed. "Go ahead and introduce yourself."

Souji brushed some stray silver hair away from his face. The entire class now watched him, but the attention didn't bother him too much; he'd been in the drama club last year—and he'd done this several times before, over the years... "Thank you. I'm Souji Seta. I'm glad to be here at Gekkoukan." He wondered if he was lying. He would certainly rather be at Yasogami...

He surveyed the class and wondered if he'd make friends as easily as he had in Inaba. He remembered how Chie had bravely asked Mr. Morooka if he could sit in the open seat next to her. No one in this class volunteered like that, despite the general curiosity he felt from the students. He heard some whispering in the back of the room. He might become popular just because he was a transfer student, at least until the novelty wore off. It wasn't common for students to transfer schools in their final year.

"Thank you!" said the teacher. "Now open your books to page 87."

With no direction from the teacher, he sat at an empty desk in the second row against the wall. The brown-haired girl seated in the desk behind his watched him as he sat down, but said nothing.

He opened the textbook and tried to focus, but... Japanese history was of no interest to him at all—not when he knew of the existence of a supernatural world inside the TV. Instead of following the lecture, he began to appraise the students around him. A boy a few desks down wore headphones around his neck, reminding him of Yosuke, but they were a different brand and green instead of his friend's signature orange-red. He also had short black hair and wore rimless glasses, so he looked quite different, too. No one else really stuck in his mind... Come to think of it, it had been about the same at Yasogami. It had been mostly the murders and kidnappings that had brought the Investigation Team together, hadn't it...?

No, but there was still Kou, Daisuke, Ai, Yumi, Ayane... Naoki...

...Naoki...

"—a question. Seta-kun!" Mr. Ono was calling on him!

Souji scrambled to his feet, his growing melancholy shattered.

"During what period were firearms first brought to Japan?" the teacher asked.

Souji opened his mouth to answer, but...

He didn't know!

Mr. Ono was looking at him expectantly, as was the entire class. As he quietly panicked, a voice whispered from behind him. "Sengoku."

"S-Sengoku era!" Souji announced.

"Very good, Seta-kun! Firearms were introduced to Japan in the Sengoku era by Portuguese traders. But you should all know a sword is the weapon for a true warrior!"

Souji sat down in relief. "Thanks," he whispered to the girl behind him.

She didn't answer.

When the teachers were swapping out for the next period, the students near Souji began to ask him questions. Where he was from, why he had come here, what movies he liked to watch, what he thought of the school so far...

He sat with his back against the wall and breezily answered their questions, but he noticed that the girl who sat behind him—the one who'd helped him earlier in class—was busy reading a textbook. She seemed to be completely unaware of the conversation around her. It was impressive that she could focus on her studies with all this distracting chatter going on right in front of her, and he found himself glancing at her after every question, as if expecting her to be the next to jump in and ask something.

His attention didn't go unnoticed by the other students. "Tomo, I think he likes you," said the boy with green headphones, tapping the girl's desk to get her attention.

"Huh?" The girl looked up from the textbook and blinked owlishly at the students around her. Her brown eyes—darker than Yosuke's—focused on the boy's tapping fingers, and her brow creased into a small frown at the diversion he caused. She fingered her shoulder-length brown hair for a moment before resuming her reading.

"Jeez, you've always got your head in the clouds, Tomo," the boy complained. He glanced at Souji. "She's not worth it, Seta-kun. Tomochika's always the teacher's pet." He then snatched the textbook away from the girl and held it away, dangling it far above her head.

Instead of making a grab for the textbook or demanding it back, the girl sighed and pulled out a different book from her bag.

"Yeah, Tomochika's weird," commented a girl with pigtails that were tied with red ribbons. "She probably doesn't even know there's a student sitting in front of her now. She probably doesn't even know your name."

"His name is Souji Seta," the girl named Tomochika droned dryly, "and he's from Inaba, his favorite sport is basketball, he plays the trumpet, and his favorite soft drink is TaP Soda."

The group of students gathered around Souji stared at her. "Huh," said the boy with headphones, lowering the textbook. "Maybe she does pay more attention than we think."

"Or maybe she was just _pretending_ to read the whole time!" the girl with pigtails accused with a giggle.

Tomochika sighed again, opened the new book, and proceeded to ignore everyone around her.

The pigtailed girl turned back to Souji. "Now, Souji-kun, do you have a girlfriend...?"

Fortunately, the next teacher arrived, and class resumed, ending the interrogation—but it was only a short reprieve because lunch followed, and then students from other classes came to introduce themselves to him. He was forced to repeat his answers to the more common questions over and over again; it began to sound rehearsed, so he tried changing it up by asking his own questions. He learned that the school was over twelve years old, and that Risette's popularity as an idol was making a comeback, and that Cielo Mist was the drink of choice in the school.

He also learned that nothing 'strange' had happened over summer, a question he'd innocently brought up. "We had a slight heat wave, that's all," said the pigtailed girl. "And Ms. Toriumi has sunburn! It's strange because she strikes me as the indoors type. I guess she went to the beach. She's the composition teacher. We'll have her on Wednesday."

A boy asked him about sports, but apparently the sports clubs had already recruited for the term. "You could probably join the Kendo club, though. They've been hurting for members."

It might be a good idea, he thought, to keep himself fit. Not that he was expecting to need to be... He hated admitting it, but he missed holding a katana. A _shinai_ wouldn't be the same, but maybe it would be close enough...?

* * *

After the last class ended, a trio of girls came up to him. "Souji-kun! Do you need a tour of Tatsumi Port Island? We can show you the Mall and everything! Where are you staying?"

"I'm sorry," he told them rather forcefully. "I can't stay. I have to get my dorm assignment."

"You haven't moved into a dorm yet!?" one of the girls exclaimed.

"No... Please, excuse me."

He was currently staying at an inn because the dormitory wasn't ready for him yet; Mitsuru-san had called him about it while he was still in Inaba. This morning he received an email from her telling him that he could come to the Kirijo office to collect his key from her today after school.

He escaped the girls and headed directly there. The secretary issued him another visitor's pass, and he rode the elevator alone to the penthouse. He knocked on the door, and to his surprise it was not Mitsuru-san who opened it for him.

It was instead a woman with blond hair and deep blue eyes. She wore a fashionable suit with a red tie, and smiled brightly at him. "Seta-san? It is good to meet you under more friendly circumstances. My name is Aigis, if you don't recall it."

"I remember," he said with a nod. The first time they had met was during the P-1 Grand Prix... and due to the strange events there, they had been forced to fight each other. And although she looked human at first glance, Aigis was actually a machine. He didn't know the details, but he knew she had a 'heart' and the ability to summon a Persona.

"Mitsuru-san has been called away on business," Aigis said. "In her absence, I'm the top-ranked member available. She appointed me to provide you with the key to the dormitory."

"How is Labrys?" Souji asked.

Aigis's bright blue eyes widened at the mention of her sister unit. "She's doing well! I am... glad you asked. Please, come in." She stepped back with a slight bow to allow him to pass before closing the door behind him.

As soon as he stepped into the room, a white dog with red eyes bounded forward. Souji stood his ground, holding his hands out for the animal to inspect, and then he patted its head. The dog gave a contended 'woof' and rubbed against his hand to coax him into rubbing harder. Souji then knelt on his knees to look the dog in its face while petting its soft fur. "A shiba inu. What's your name, then...?"

"That's Koromaru," said Aigis, "and I'm quite glad to see that he likes you."

"I'm good with animals," Souji replied proudly. Back in Inaba, cats had taken to following him around because he'd kept feeding spare fish to the strays. And he once helped a woman in Okina City find her lost dog. That dog had been quite unfriendly, but he'd eventually won it over by bribing it with food and kind words.

"That is good to hear," Aigis said slowly and carefully, "because we would like you to take care of him."

"Oh?" he said neutrally. He took a closer look at the dog. It was healthy and fit; it was probably walked often, or its diet well-regulated. It wasn't a puppy—probably six or seven years old. Its unnaturally red eyes seemed intelligent. As Souji thought that, it began to lick his face, and he couldn't help himself—he started laughing. "No, no, not the face!" he protested.

Koromaru barked and jumped up at him when he tried to pull away.

"He is technically under Akihiko's care," Aigis continued, "but he is away again. We need someone reliable to take care of him. I would ask if you object, but... I can see that you won't."

Souji's face was glowing from the dog's attention. "I always wanted a dog," he admitted. "Or a cat. Or any pet, really."

Smiling kindly, Aigis went to the glass table and picked up an envelope and key. She turned back to face him. "You'll be staying at the Iwatodai dormitory. It has been closed for a very long time, but we had it cleaned this weekend, so it should be habitable. So far, there are no plans for anyone else to stay there... So remember to lock up at night. You'll receive a stipend—your first is in this envelope—and the dormitory has a full kitchen which will be stocked regularly for you."

"I'm going to be alone?" he asked, sobering up.

"Not alone—with Koromaru," she corrected. The dog wagged its tail at the mention of its name. She handed him the envelope and key. "When you enter the dorm—the address is on the envelope—directly to your right will be the lounge. On the table you'll find a briefcase which contains some important supplies. Be sure to open it. The key is in the envelope. Room 3-1 is to be your room—the others aren't furnished. The keys to all rooms will be behind the counter, so you can technically access any of them, but please don't try to unlock the last room on the second floor."

He looked up from his idle inspection of the key. "Why's that?"

Instead of answering, she smiled. It was the same smile she had worn earlier, but sadder somehow. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Is there anything else?" Souji asked.

"I believe that is all. If you have any questions, my number is on a card in the envelope. It was good to see you, Seta-san."

"Same, Aigis-san. All right, Koromaru, let's find out what our new home is like." Souji walked to the door, and the dog obediently followed him out. He seemed to be a smart creature. He already knew Souji was his new master.

It took quite a while to reach the dormitory—not only was it on the other side of the city, but people kept stopping him to talk about Koromaru. "What a fine coat he has!" "Is he friendly?" "Can I pet him?" In addition, he had to stop at the inn he had been staying at to pick up his few belongings.

When they finally reached the street that housed the dormitory, Koromaru dashed ahead, barking in excitement. He had been well-behaved up to that point, keeping close to Souji. "Wait up, Koro!" he called after him. He found the dog pawing at the dorm's entrance. He already knew his new home? A _very_ smart creature...

The lemony scent of cleaner almost overpowered Souji when he opened the door. Aigis hadn't lied about it having been cleaned very recently. With no one living here, it hadn't been aired out. After setting his things down on the floor by the entrance, Souji opened the few windows that he could open—there unfortunately weren't many, probably for security reasons.

He decided to explore the dorm's first floor.

It seemed like it had once been a fully-functioning dormitory. It even had a reception counter, and the wall behind it contained mail cubicles with labels for each room. Behind the counter was a board with keys pinned to it, and he pocketed the key to room 3-1. The reception counter itself was bare except for a lamp, a potted plant, instructions for laundry and housekeeping, and a guest book with blank pages. He tried to sign his name into the guest book, but the pen was out of ink.

He passed the television, purposely ignoring it. Koromaru panted loudly, as dogs tended to, and watched him walk by. The dog had found a cushion on the floor next to the television and had quickly made himself at home on it; it seemed that someone had known ahead of time that a dog would be living here.

The lounge housed two armchairs and two well-used but comfortable couches, all surrounding a short coffee table. A locked metal briefcase rested on the table, but he decided not to open it just yet; he hadn't finished exploring, and he was getting hungry. There were several cabinets, too, but upon closer inspection they housed mostly decorative dishes.

The spacious dining room was lit by a small chandelier and contained a table long enough to be used by several people at once. He found a door that led to a modestly-stocked kitchen and spent some time making himself kakuni for his dinner. He fed Koromaru, too, with some canned dog food he'd found there.

The bathrooms were next to the hallway that led to the stairs. He contemplated entering the girl's bathroom—who would know?—but ultimately decided against it.

When he left the bathroom, he found Koromaru prancing around. It seemed the dog needed a walk, so he took the dog out to a nearby park he'd seen earlier.

The park was attached to the Naganaki Shrine. He was glad to see that it seemed prosperous, at least in comparison to the Tatsuhime Shrine in Inaba. With luck, he wouldn't have to try and resolve any _ema_ requests himself. There was no sign of any resident fox, at least.

Koromaru walked up the offertory box and seemed to bow towards it. Souji shook his head. What a quirky animal he was.

Since he was there, he decided to draw a fortune. "Delayed Curse." Of course. He sighed and then tied it around the nearby board set up for it. Maybe it was a mistake to come here.

Upon returning to the dorm, he decided it was time to open the metal briefcase. He used the key Aigis had given him, and the glint of steel caught his eye when he pulled the lid open. He stared in complete surprise; wrapped in the black cloth within were two weapons!

A black-handled dagger, similar to the kind Yosuke used, and—a silver gun of some sort.

He stared at the gun for quite some time. He didn't dare touch it. Such a foreign, unfamiliar weapon. Why had he been given this? Why would anyone think he would need this...?

Then again, who would ever think he would need a katana...

He gingerly took out the dagger. If it came right down to it, he supposed he could use this. The gun, on the other hand... no. He closed the lid on the gun and locked the briefcase.

He left the dagger on the coffee table while he put the briefcase behind the counter at the dorm's entrance... somewhere safe and out of the way. But when he went back to the coffee table to decide what to do with it, the dagger was missing.

"What..." he began.

Koromaru?

He found the dog lying on his cushion next to the TV, the dagger resting between his forepaws. When Souji tried to take it from him, the dog skillfully picked up the dagger in his mouth by the handle, stood up, and waved his head around as if practicing his swing. He emitted a low growl of excitement.

Souji leaped back. _Okay, we have a situation..._ he thought.

The dog moved into the hallway with the dagger, wagging his curly tail. He looked at Souji almost knowingly, and danced away whenever he made any move to approach.

_We are not playing this game,_ Souji thought. Beginning to panic, he pulled out his cell phone and the envelope and searched for Aigis's number. He wished he'd programmed it into the phone earlier, but he didn't think he'd need it so soon, and he always hated calling people...

While the phone rang, Koromaru was having a good time playing with the dagger, attacking invisible enemies in the hallway...

Aigis answered on the fourth ring. "This is Aigis. May I know who's calling?"

"Aigis-san," he said with heartfelt relief, "this is Souji Seta. Err..."

"Ah, Seta-san. Do you find the dormitory satisfactory?"

"Y-yes, umm..."

"Is something the matter?" She must have sensed his hesitation over the line.

"It's Koromaru. He's... He got hold of a dagger and he won't give it up."

Dead silence filled the line. No, there was something on the other end. Was... was Aigis-san laughing at him!?

"Ahem, excuse me," she said after another moment. "This dagger... Did it come from the briefcase on the table in the lounge?"

"Yes."

"It belongs to him. Let him keep it. He knows how to use it. He won't hurt anyone."

Souji paused. "I take it he is not an ordinary dog."

Aigis continued. "I'm sorry. I should have told you earlier. But if you've opened the briefcase, you must have found your Evoker. You should keep it with you, although I hope you won't need it."

"Yeah, same," he replied. He assumed she meant the gun.

"If that's all, then, please, have a good night."

"Thank you, Aigis-san. Good night."

Souji watched Koromaru, who had given up playing with the dagger and had returned to sitting on his cushion, and the dog watched him in turn. Then the dog began to scratch himself with a hind leg, yawned hugely, and laid his head down to rest.

"'He knows how to use it'?" Souji repeated Aigis's words under his breath. He had been given a combat dog to take care of? Or maybe... the dog was meant to take care of him? Dogs were often fiercely loyal. Maybe he should be honored that he had Koromaru to protect him. But... would he need protection?

Why did they give him a gun?

He had the sinking feeling that the Kirijo Group was keeping him in the dark, and he didn't like it. He considered calling Naoto, but... it was already late, and Koromaru's yawn was catching. "Koro, I'm... going to my room. Upstairs." It felt strange to talk to the dog as if he was a person, but it felt appropriate somehow.

Koromaru lifted his head upon hearing his voice, and his tail wagged half-way. The dog made no move to get up, so Souji decided to leave him there.

The third floor seemed to house several rooms, and 3-1 was, of course, the closest room to the stairs. He felt a chill upon unlocking the door; it was just too lonely to have this entire building to himself. He hadn't even yet determined how many floors the structure had.

The room was modestly furnished with a desk and a Western-style bed. It was strange to have a bed instead of a futon, but it didn't take long for Souji to drift off into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3 - Daily Life

Within the first week, Souji established a routine. Koromaru would wake him up in the morning, asking to be let out, and then he'd shower, eat breakfast, and take the train to school. He'd worried about Koromaru being alone, but the dog was well-behaved and seemed to be able to survive without being let out for long periods of time. Souji still went straight home after school when he could out of guilt for the animal, and he eventually set up a litter box for the dog in the boy's bathroom, and that seemed to solve that problem.

Once 'home,' he spent the evening completing his homework and studying; third year was going to be rough at Gekkoukan High. In the end, he'd never done his assigned summer homework, and besides that, the expectations seemed to be higher here than at both Yasogami and the school he'd attended during first term, so even if he had done the homework, he'd probably still be behind.

He was starting to regain his drive to do well in school, due in no small part to Tomochika-san. Every time he was asked a question in class, she'd whisper the answer behind him, even though he'd never asked for her help. It was a bit frustrating—_he_ was supposed to be the one providing answers for his friends, not the other way around. One of his classmates had called her the teacher's pet; if that was true, she was likely to be his main competitor in being top of the class. But a little competition was good; although he loved his Inaba friends dearly, it hadn't been hard to best them in the grades department—though he admitted it might be another story if Naoto had been in his same year.

He finished exploring the dormitory. It had five floors in total, although the top floor was only the roof access. The fourth floor had a set of bathrooms and a room, but its double-doors were locked and he couldn't find the key. He found signs of previous inhabitants in the second and third floor rooms: a spent shell casing (puzzling, that), an old sports poster, and the lingering scent of some feminine perfume which quickly dissipated when he left the door open to air it out.

The last room on the second floor was a mystery to him. Koromaru whined when he went near it, and despite Aigis's warning, he'd tried the handle, but it was locked. He'd brought his head to the floor to try and look through the gap under the door, and he saw that some envelopes had been shoved into the room, but they were firmly out of reach. Not that he'd read someone else's mail...

In the end, he found that he felt the most comfortable in the spacious dining room, where he spread his schoolwork across the huge table with Koromaru at his feet.

* * *

"So, partner... Chie or Yukiko?"

Souji sighed heavily into the phone and leaned his head against the back of one of the brown armchairs in the lounge. "Do I even want to know why you're asking that again?"

"Dude, it's senior year," said Yosuke. "There's no way I'm gonna stay single! Which one do you think I have more of a chance with, partner?"

"Just give it up while you're still ahead," Souji advised.

"C'mon, man, don't be like that." There was a creak from the other end of the line as Yosuke changed his sitting position. He was probably in the computer chair in his room. "Let's see. Yukiko already rejected me three times last year... and Chie's liable to kick me straight to the moon... Fine, maybe you're right. Hey, what's the girl situation over there? Any cuties in your class?"

"Well..." Souji envisioned the 3-A classroom. He thought of Tomochika-san, the strange but intelligent bookworm sitting behind him... And there was also that excitable girl with the pigtails whose desk was across the aisle... He'd learned her name was Haruka. There was another girl, too, who was Haruka's friend, but Souji hadn't caught her name.

Yosuke was quick to latch onto his hesitation. "So there is! Wow... Nanako-chan is gonna be heartbroken. Her big bro has a crush!"

"I didn't say that," Souji said with another sigh, but it was already too late. Yosuke's mind was made up and arguing otherwise would only further cement it as truth.

"Tell me about her," Yosuke said in a wheedling tone. Souji refused, and after a while, his friend finally grew bored of the topic. "Hey, uh..." Yosuke began in a more subdued tone of voice. "You doing okay there, partner?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm okay," Souji replied. "Haven't found a job yet, but... it's only the first week, anyway, so I haven't really looked. And Chie and Kanji called me yesterday... And I called my uncle and Nanako-chan earlier, just like I promised, so... Well, it's not so lonely. Besides, I got a dog." He patted Koromaru on the head with his left hand, and the dog licked it.

"Not a cat? It's like your mom doesn't even know you! Err..." Yosuke then stammered out an apology for speaking without thinking. Souji told him it was okay, since it was probably true anyway...

He hadn't told any of his friends that he wasn't living with his parents anymore. They'd inevitably ask why, and perhaps assume that it meant he had free reign in where he could live, and then wonder why he hadn't just returned to Inaba. It wouldn't be easy to explain... so he thought it best just not to tell them. Naoto might know already through Mitsuru, but he trusted her discretion.

The cell phone rang again not long after he'd ended the call with Yosuke. Souji expected it to be someone else from Inaba, or maybe his parents—yeah, right—but his phone didn't have a name associated with the calling number, so it wasn't someone in his contact list. He almost didn't answer, but then he recognized the number while it was on the fifth ring: Aigis-san.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Seta-san? This is Aigis. How are you and Koromaru this evening?"

"I'm fine," he answered. "I bought Koro-chan a chew toy. He seems to like it." It was a bone-shaped plush with a squeaker in it. The dog had already torn out the squeaker, and Souji had confiscated it from him, just in case. It was basically a small plastic choking hazard, and even though Koromaru was smart, it wasn't worth the risk.

"I'm glad you're getting along well. Seta-san... I was reading through your profile earlier, and I saw that you once tutored a middle school student?"

"That's right," Souji recalled. "Shu Nakajima. It was a short job. 12 visits, I think?" It was kind of a blur, what with everything else that had been going on then.

"I am asking because we might have a tutoring job available for you. Would you be interested?"

"Maybe..." he said. "Can you give me more details?"

"There is a young boy," she said, "who is taking middle-school level English. You'd be doing us a great favor if you could help him with that... But please, don't feel forced to accept."

"I don't mind," he said. "How soon would I start?"

"I'll email you the details. It'll be easier that way."

The message came quickly, and he suspected that Aigis had drafted it out before even calling him, though it was short and to the point. The boy was a fourteen-year-old attending Gekkoukan Middle, and Souji was to call the boy himself to make arrangements. English was the only subject the student required help for. Souji's weekly stipend would increase if he accepted.

Souji gave the phone a dark look while he dialed the number. This was going to a cold call, and he hated calling in the first place. He didn't know this kid at all. What if the boy resented that he needed to be tutored? Why had he been given the boy's number and not, say, his parents' number? That would make more sense...

"Yes?" the boy answered. At least, it sounded like a boy, but with one word, Souji couldn't really tell.

"Is this Ken Amada-kun?" Souji asked, enunciating the name carefully. "My name is Souji Seta... I'm told you are looking for an English tutor?"

"Oh! Yes, that's right. I am looking for someone... but how did you get my number?" Amada-kun asked.

Souji balked. It was from Aigis-san, but... Souji didn't know this kid's relationship to her, if there even was one. "Ah..."

Amada-kun answered it himself. "I suppose my dorm master forwarded my information to you. Seta-san, my goal is to do well in my English class, but it isn't coming naturally to me. I'd like to meet with you for some time after school on Mondays. Would that work for you?"

Souji agreed, and they made plans to meet at a public library in the upcoming week.

* * *

Souji lingered at the school gates before class started on Monday morning, hoping to overhear something interesting. He'd learned a lot about the Midnight Channel last year from eavesdropping like this.

"Hey, did you hear?" a student with black hair asked her friend.

"No, what?"

"A boy in class 2-B was caught smoking in the bathroom! I wonder if he'll be expelled..."

...Nothing interesting today.

* * *

"Seta-kun!" Mr. Takenozuka called. "Acceleration is the derivative of what function?"

Ah, physics! Souji knew this one. He'd spent his entire Sunday afternoon studying. He had a pretty good handle on this material, and the question didn't even involve math, making it a breeze.

He opened his mouth to answer...

"Velocity," Tomochika-san whispered behind him.

He bit his tongue and then stammered out the answer, even though he'd known it confidently just a moment ago. He sat back down and the teacher continued the lecture, but he turned sideways in his seat and muttered at Tomochika-san. "Please stop giving me answers."

She made no sign that she'd heard him. In fact, when another teacher called on him later that day, she again provided the answer. His mood soured until he mulled it over. Maybe she was trying to get his attention? The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. All last week he'd been swamped by people trying to get to know him. Today it seemed like things were calming down; everyone was becoming accustomed to 'the new guy,' but he was still being invited to hang out with people during lunch and after school. Maybe Tomochika-san was curious about him too, but didn't want to compete... or something? She certainly seemed the type to keep things to herself. Not too different from Souji in that aspect, really...

He fiddled with his notebook after the last bell rang and waited for the classroom to clear out before turning to Tomochika-san behind him, who he already knew tended to be one of the last to leave. She continued to read the book in front of her, apparently oblivious to the fact that he was looking at her.

"Tomochika-san? Excuse me," he said.

She ignored him.

He tried again. "Tomochika-san? I'd like to talk with you."

Her eyes continued to move across the page she was reading.

He rapped his fingers against the top of her desk. "Please."

Her eyes finally flicked to him, but she didn't move her head up from the book. "Stop that," she told him.

He drew his hand back. Her eyes roved back to her book.

Souji watched her read for some time. She seemed totally undisturbed by his presence—and totally uninterested in him. She turned a page. "What are you reading?" he asked.

She scowled, apparently at the interruption, and closed the book. She picked up her book bag from the floor, secured the book in it, and then stood up and strode towards the classroom's back exit.

"Tomochika-san!" he called after her, but she left without looking back.

Souji was left blinking in confusion. What had he done wrong...?

He didn't have much time to think about it, though—he soon had his first appointment with Ken Amada.

* * *

"The word 'though' is pronounced 'tho'? Then why does it have the 'gh' at the end? English makes no sense..." Amada-kun was scowling over the poem he was supposed to read aloud in his next class meeting.

Souji was doing his best, but it wasn't like English was his first language, either. He was enrolled in an English class himself at Gekkoukan, in fact. He'd spent all Sunday evening—after spending the afternoon studying—looking up middle school level English practice books online with his phone to prepare for this. He didn't want his first tutoring session with the boy to be his last.

But it seemed to be going well. Amada-kun had been somewhat apprehensive at first, but he'd warmed up to Souji quickly, as most people did. Amada-kun was a rather serious boy. He spoke formally and chose his words with care. His manner was, in fact, quite similar to Shu. But there were differences—appearance, for one. Amada-kun was shorter than Shu and wore his Gekkoukan Middle jersey with an orange undershirt and his shorts were... rather short. His brown hair was styled so that his bangs curled up, much like human Teddie's hair was styled to curl up in the back.

Souji had wanted to call the boy 'Ken-chan,' but he was pretty sure that would annoy him, so 'Amada-kun' it was.

"Here. Repeat after me," Souji said, and he read the poem's next line out loud. Amada-kun followed, but his words were stilted and lacked cohesive flow. Souji asked him to repeat the line several times until he seemed more comfortable with the unfamiliar words. "That's better. You're doing better," Souji encouraged him.

"Is that so?" said Amada-kun. "I hope you're not just saying that."

"Start from the beginning now," Souji instructed.

It took a long time, but they practiced the poem until Amada-kun could repeat it without slipping up. By the end, the boy was feeling much more confident about the next day in class. "I can do this!" he exclaimed.

Souji nodded. "Of course you can."

Amada-kun smiled shyly at him. "You helped a lot. Do you think we can do this again?"

* * *

Souji overheard students talking at the shoe lockers before class the next morning.

"Hey, did you watch Tanaka's Amazing Commodities on Sunday?"

"I don't watch that show... He only sells weird stuff."

"Hey, I like seeing the weird crap he tries to sell. It's frickin' hilarious. One time he was selling _goldfish,_ I kid you not. I mean, who would buy goldfish from television shopping?"

Souji tried to keep his face neutral even though he wasn't looking at the students. He'd bought those goldfish to feed the neighborhood cats.

"My mom thinks his herbal pills will cure anything..." another student murmured.

"Well, anyway!" the first student said. "I was trying to tell you, TV Tanaka wasn't on! I mean, it was still his show, but it was some lady instead of Tanaka! What's up with that? I've never seen the show without him on it. It was weird... And she didn't seem to be that happy to be on it. I think she was his producer."

Souji's mouth turned down in a half-frown. He also couldn't remember a time when Mr. Tanaka himself wasn't on the show. He'd bought so many things from there... Well, maybe the host had to take a vacation. The show had run every week for as long as he could remember. That was bound to tire out any host, even one as tenacious as Mr. Tanaka.

* * *

Souji headed on to class, and Tomochika-san was already in her seat, already in her natural state—with a book open in her hands. He tried to read the title on the spine. It appeared to be a biography on enka singer Hibari Misora. "Do you like her music?" he asked. So absorbed in the book, she didn't answer. Or, perhaps, she was pretending not to hear him.

"I'm sorry if I bothered you yesterday," Souji went on.

"Are you trying to talk to Tomo? Don't bother," the pigtailed girl, Haruka, interrupted. "When she's got her nose in a book, she tunes out the whole world."

But she'd been listening last week, he thought, on his first day in class. Maybe he had to try a different approach. He wrote her a note. She liked to read, right? Maybe that would get her attention. It was nothing complex, just an invitation to lunch, but he spent some time on it when he should have been listening to the Japanese Literature lecture. _I've been told I'm a good chef,_ he added at the bottom. Then he folded it and placed it on the corner of her desk.

But when the lunch bell rang, Tomochika-san left the room, and he saw that his note was exactly where he'd left it, completely untouched.

Had she no natural curiosity?

...So he invited Haruka to lunch instead, and she, at least, seemed quite happy with his homemade bento.

* * *

One afternoon, Souji allowed some of his classmates—three girls, including Haruka—to take him to the Paulownia Mall, an indoor shopping center with a domed roof. From the outside, it looked almost space-age, like a UFO. He remembered visiting it before on the Yasogami school trip, but it was all a blur. He appreciated being shown around again.

Inside it looked about the same as he remembered, at least. Some backless benches surrounded a cascading fountain of water. It was the mall's centerpiece, though there were two other fountains on either side of the main entrance. The tile flooring gleamed in the light of the lamps positioned over each store's sign. Of these stores, only the pharmacy and the cafe interested him. He'd never cared much for arcade games, nor antiques, nor the club scene, even though these were the places his classmates seemed to be drawn to. Nor karaoke. Definitely not karaoke.

The four of them were now standing in front of Game Panic.

"I heard they just got in a new dance machine!" Haruka announced. "Are you any good at them, Souji-kun? Wanna give it a try?"

"I'll try anything," he said earnestly, and he allowed them to lead him in.

Although it turned out he had two left legs, he ended up having a lot of fun on the dance pads. The girls were so energetic that it seemed like they were still on summer break. By the end of the afternoon, he had something from TAG stuck in his head.

It was almost too bad that the Investigation Team had gone to the club instead of here, he thought. He suspected Chie and Yosuke would enjoy competing against each other at the dance machine. Naoto might be good at a crane game or maybe the more retro games in the back of the arcade. Kanji would like the punching bag, and Yukiko the Lucky Fortune draw. And Rise would just have fun egging them all on.

"I'm beat!" said Haruka, her pigtails bouncing as she wiped her brow dramatically. "How about we get a drink?"

One of the girls declined because she hadn't finished a paper that was due soon, but the remaining two girls and Souji went to the Chagall Cafe where they were seated at a booth. Souji glanced over the selection; the two girls seemed to be regular customers and already knew what they wanted. Souji was hoping not to get a coffee that would knock him out like the blend at the branch in Okina City. One of the girls—Natsumi? He still hadn't actually learned her name—noticed his searching. "I recommend the Pheromone Coffee," she said. "It's a classic."

"I don't think Souji-kun needs that," said Haruka. "His smile alone is charming, have you seen it?"

"I haven't! Souji-kun, why are you so serious all the time?" Natsumi pouted at him.

"He was smiling when you beat him at 'Butterfly' earlier, didn't you see? It was _adorable._" Haruka turned puppy-dog eyes on him, and it was... really uncomfortable. She wasn't Rise, not that he'd ever exactly welcomed Rise's playful advances... Come to think of it, her pigtails were a similar style. Was she a Risetteer?

"Huh? No, I was looking at the score..." Natsumi said, lowering her eyes unhappily.

Souji ended up getting the Pheromone Coffee out of curiosity. It turned out to contain more cinnamon than he was accustomed to, but otherwise was a nice blend, not that he was a coffee aficionado. He decided he might come back another time.

After the refreshment, they sat by the mall's main fountain. Souji tossed in a 100 yen coin after the girls each threw one in. Haruka turned to him and brushed her hands down her blazer. "Well, I guess it's time to go home. Where do you live, Souji-kun?"

"Over in Iwatodai," he said. "I'll have to take the train."

"Ohhh! Have you been to Wild-Duck Burger by the station? Their wasabi burger is amazing!" Haruka declared.

"If you can still taste after it," Natsumi said, rolling her eyes. "I'd rather go to Hagakure any day!"

The two bickered about restaurants for a while before finally telling him that they lived on the other side of town. "What a bummer. See you tomorrow in class, then!" Haruka said.

"All right. Have a good night," he told them. He waved after them until they left the mall.

His phone had buzzed earlier, so he checked it now and found a message from Amada-kun. The boy had received full marks for his presentation in his English class and was excited to see Souji again next week. Souji smiled to himself. He looked forward to it, too.

Souji wandered around the mall for a little while longer. He needed to use the bathroom, at least. He'd seen an empty hall between the police station and the stairs to Mandragora, and he thought there might be a public restroom there. He went into it and blinked at the eerie blue lighting, but it turned out he was wrong and there was nothing at all there except a couple of potted trees.


	4. Chapter 4 - Coffee Break

Before Souji knew it, he'd been at Gekkoukan an entire month, and nothing Shadow-related had happened at all. It was probably a good thing, but... it did make him wonder what he was doing there. In Inaba, it had only been a few days before he'd become inescapably involved in the murder case. As it was, the Kirijo Group was paying him just to go to school, and he hadn't done anything to deserve it. He didn't need nor want any recompense for his and his friends' help during Golden Week, and Mitsuru-san probably knew that...

September'd had two holidays, but he had felt it was too soon to visit Inaba during them. November and December, perhaps, when the worst memories from last year made him afraid to be away from his little cousin Nanako.

He missed Inaba, but Yosuke called often enough for him to live vicariously through him. Yosuke had yet to get a girlfriend, which was no surprise, but of course Souji would never tell him that. Kanji was still himself, but he skipped school less often—likely due to the fact that Naoto was in the same class as him. Speaking of Naoto, apparently she and Chie had started bonding; Chie wanted to learn more about detective and police work and asked both Naoto and detective Dojima about it frequently. And Nanako-chan missed her big bro, but Dojima seemed to be taking good care of her in his absence.

"Don't worry, partner," Yosuke assured him. "Teddie makes me visit her every Sunday."

"That's good," Souji told him. "I'm glad."

"I think your uncle's getting suspicious of him, though. Ted hasn't mentioned 'scoring' around her but, you know, she is getting older, could get weird pretty soon..."

"I trust Teddie," Souji said, "but if you think there's a problem, let me know."

"Sure thing," said Yosuke. "Speaking of scoring, heh, heh... I'm curious. Is Rise bothering you a lot?"

Souji's brow knit together. "Rise? Bothering how?"

"_You_ know, partner... Is she texting and calling you every day? She was pretty obsessed with you, you know. I mean, I'm almost surprised she didn't force you down the aisle just to keep you in Inaba." Yosuke punctuated his words with a nervous-sounding laugh.

Souji didn't even want to contemplate _that_ scenario, so he pretended he didn't hear it. It was a joke, right? "Well, she's really busy with her big comeback. But we do stay in contact, yeah. She calls about as often as you, actually."

"Really?" said Yosuke. "Haha, that's kind of weird... Uh, anyway. 'Rise Seta' doesn't sound right. It sounds like a rice dish."

"I'm not ready to settle down yet," Souji said. Was Yosuke really going to make him think about it? Yes, of course he was...

"Yeah, I figured. I bet you're still a player over there, aren't you? Remember how that fake Rise called you the 'ladies man of Inaba' during Golden Week? I wonder if it wasn't spot-on."

"Please don't remind me... Captain Ressentiment."

"Yeah, okay, I guess you don't want to talk about it," Yosuke said. "But sometimes I wonder about you."

"...Sometimes?" Souji teased.

"Dude... Don't be like that. It's our senior year! Gotta have a girl before Valentine's Day!"

"Good luck."

"Argh, fine, partner. I think I'm gonna let you go now. Call you later!"

Yosuke hung up. Souji watched his cell phone's screen with amusement until it powered down from being idle. Sometimes _he_ wondered about Yosuke—like what went through his mind to keep bringing up topics better left untouched. Probably very little...

* * *

But speaking of girls...

If Souji was honest with himself, he was making very little progress on the Tomochika-san front. On the bright side, she'd stopped giving him answers in class. On the down side, she still preferred books to conversation.

He thought of getting a book for her, maybe something on the history of enka, so he decided to visit Bookworms, a used bookstore over at Iwatodai Station after school one day.

Strangely, he found that the bookstore was locked up, all of the books normally on display outside missing, the desks put away somewhere. A sign posted on the door read, "Closed until further notice." Souji had been by there several times while walking Koromaru and it had been open before...

Was Junes killing bookstores now?

No, Junes only carried popular fiction, stuff with glittery vampires and those cat-lady mysteries. There'd always be a market for used books among niche consumers.

Souji asked the attendant at Octopia, the nearby takoyaki stall, about the bookstore, and she said that the elderly couple that ran it had both become ill at the same time. It was quite sudden...

* * *

When the teacher stepped out for a moment during class, Souji tried to talk to Tomochika-san before she could start reading.

"What do you want?" she grumbled, sounding distinctly uninterested.

"Would you like to go out for coffee?" he asked. She seemed the type who'd enjoy a nice quiet coffee somewhere, and the direct approach had worked well with Ai Ebihara. "At the Chagall Cafe."

"No." Her dark brown eyes were flat, but somehow the unfriendliness seemed forced.

"Tomo, did you really just..." Haruka was flabbergasted. "He just asked you on a date and you said no!?"

Tomochika-san immediately shoved her left hand into her book bag to pull out a book. It must be a reflex, Souji decided.

"No no no," said Haruka. Haruka snatched Tomochika-san's wrist and forced her hand back up empty. "We're going to talk, Tomo-chan."

Tomochika-san growled at Haruka, but Haruka didn't let go.

"What is wrong with Souji-kun?" Haruka asked. "You should be glad you even have his attention, you stick in the mud!"

"You don't need to insult her..." Souji said, hoping this wasn't going to get out of hand.

"Is it his hair?" Haruka went on, pulling at Tomochika-san's wrist. "That cut is a bit, well, unpopular, but it looks good on him! Souji-kun is pretty cool! He keeps his jacket unbuttoned, and—"

Tomochika-san tilted her head. "That's sloppy."

Souji blinked several times. She had voiced an opinion on him!

"He asked you out!" Haruka yelled. "It's not like you're ever going to get a boyfriend on your own!"

Tomochika-san's eyes flashed, but she didn't flinch. She did, however, pull her hand out of Haruka's grasp. "I'm not interested."

Souji watched in surreal fascination as they continued to argue about him.

"Well, if you don't want him..." Haruka muttered. "Souji-kun, I'll go out with you!" She fixed him with an overly-bright smile and leaned much closer.

Souji leaned back against the wall and looked at Tomochika-san, who watched him coolly in turn. He faced the other girl. "You misunderstand. I just wanted to talk with Tomochika-san outside of class. I'm not exactly interested in dating, either."

Tomochika-san snorted... and opened a book.

Haruka threw her hands up in exasperation. "Whatever!"

* * *

"Why won't you talk to me?" Souji asked Tomochika-san later that day, after the last bell had rung.

To his surprise, she actually paused in her reading. Her eyes narrowed, and then she looked at him. "Because. You're a transfer student."

She said it quite matter-of-factly. To Souji it was like a Shadow's Sonic Punch attack right to the gut, it hurt him so much inside. He'd been told before by shallow people that they didn't want to be friends with him for that same reason—because he was likely to transfer again—but that was mostly when he was younger, mostly in middle school, where children were so much crueler to each other. Now it was their final year in school, _everyone_ was going to leave after graduation, so why did it even matter...?

* * *

Souji needed a way to vent his frustration. He hadn't yet joined a club at school, and training by himself at the dorm sounded very lonely, even with Koromaru there to watch him. He decided to try an old stand-by: fishing.

He'd first learned to fish in Inaba, mostly on a whim; that old fisherman by the Samegawa river had seemed so sad that 'kids these days' weren't interested in fishing, so Souji felt obligated to volunteer to try it out. To his surprise, he found himself enjoying it. It was relaxing. He didn't have to think of anything while the line was in the water and he was waiting for a nibble, and he could test his strength and skill whenever anything was hooked on the line.

His friends had been surprised to find out he liked fishing. He didn't understand why. It was better than video games, honestly. Felt more productive—at least he could cook the fish and make a fresh meal out of it. When he'd said that, Yosuke had looked at him like he'd turned into a fish... Yukiko, at least, assured him it was a normal hobby; a lot of her guests at the Amagi Inn were tourists and fishing was apparently one of the town's draws.

Fish were plentiful in Inaba, too. He'd never walked away without a nice catch—although there was that time he'd only caught goldfish. That had been right after a festival, though, where goldfish had been a prize for one of the games. He presumed the excess goldfish had been dumped in the river after the event, or something. Anyway, he wondered how lucky he'd be here. He had to buy a new tackle box, rod, and other supplies since he'd left all that at Inaba. The extra stipend from tutoring Amada-kun was coming in handy.

He found a pier along Iwatodai's beach. He set up his line there and waited. Just holding the rod in his hands granted him a sense of nostalgic peace.

His first catch was some trash. Yeah, that would be the problem with fishing near a big city...

"Souji-kun? Is this what you do instead of cram school? Man, I wish I had your confidence..."

He turned his head to see one of his classmates—the boy who had teased Tomochika-san on the first day. He didn't have his headphones today. Probably they weren't a signature item like Yosuke's were. He had short black hair, dark brown eyes, and, like Souji, was still wearing his Gekkoukan uniform. "Oh, hello, Taishi-kun," Souji greeted.

Taishi rested his arms on the pier's railing and peered down to the end of Souji's line. Then he looked in Souji's empty bucket. "No luck, huh?"

"None." Maybe that fortune he'd drawn at the shrine last month was coming true right now. Still, a meeting with a classmate could turn the day around. "What brings you to the pier?" Souji asked.

"Ah, I like to walk." Taishi smiled easily at him and adjusted his rimless glasses. "The pier's a good place to walk."

"It is pretty long," Souji admitted. He thought of walking Koro down it. The dog would probably have fun chasing the sea birds. He could pretend to be a bird, too, what with the silly (but admittedly cute) wing decorations attached to his collar.

Taishi shifted from foot to foot. "Ah, I think I need to get moving again. See you on Monday!" The boy began to walk down the pier again.

Souji watched him go. Oh, well. So much for bonding.

* * *

Souji looked forward to his tutoring sessions with Amada-kun. The boy took his studies seriously, and was always prepared with a dearth of questions, some of which challenged Souji's knowledge of English. Even if it took a while for Souji to answer sometimes, the boy was a good sport about it, and Souji's own skills in the foreign language were improving as well.

"Why is 'I have two cat' wrong? I said 'two' already... It shouldn't need to be 'cats.'" Amada-kun scowled at his worksheet on plural nouns.

"That's... just how it is, Amada-kun." Souji didn't have an explanation for that one. "At least you didn't put 'I two cats have.'"

Amada-kun looked up at him. "Why? What's wrong with that?"

Souji smiled desperately and launched into an explanation on the English language's subject-verb-object order.

"Oh, right, I was taught that," Amada-kun admitted. "Thank you for the reminder. Umm... Can you check these?" The boy handed Souji his worksheet.

An hour later, they were both rather tired of English's various grammatical quirks. While Amada-kun was putting everything into his backpack, Souji had an idea. "Amada-kun... Do you like coffee? The mall's just down the road. I'll treat you." He'd been kind of craving another cinnamon-laced Pheromone Coffee ever since Tomochika-san rejected him.

Amada-kun blinked his big brown eyes rapidly. "Oh... With me? I thought you would want to go right home after this."

"Nothing to go home to, really, except my own studies," Souji said. "And a cup of coffee will help me get to them."

"You should be careful about relying on caffeine," Amada-kun lectured. "It's quite addictive."

"I just want the sugar," Souji admitted.

"Seta-san has a sweet tooth?" Amada-kun sounded thoughtful. "I'll keep that in mind." He hefted his black-and-orange backpack over his shoulders. "All right. Let's go!"

Seated across from him in the Chagall Cafe, Souji watched as Amada-kun ordered his coffee black, and it made him think fondly of his uncle and Nanako-chan back home.

..."Home"? Was that right? The thought was a happy one until he remembered he had a mother and father. He sighed heavily. The Dojima residence was—

"What are you thinking of, Seta-san? Exams?"

Souji blinked his way back to earth.

Amada-kun apologized. "You looked pensive. I was curious."

"I was thinking of home," Souji admitted. "It's a little complicated. I..."

"Are you... away from home?"

Souji thought about it for some time before nodding. "Yeah. I'm a transfer student. My family... They sent me away to go to school here." He tried to keep his face neutral, but the memory was bitter. He'd had to argue hard with his mother and father to be allowed to go to Gekkoukan, Mitsuru-san's scholarship notwithstanding. Why they had chosen now, his senior year, to suddenly try and bond with him—"Sou-chan, why would you want to go to a school that's so far away from us?"—It was beyond frustrating... He _did_ want to get to know his parents, he really, _really_ did, but...

"...Seta-san?"

But now that he was away, they didn't bother to call him, and, well, he didn't bother to call them, either, and... but that's because he knew they would talk over him and not hear anything he said...

"Seta-san, I think your coffee's going to get cold."

"Quel dommage," he muttered to himself.

* * *

Yosuke called again, and despite his better judgment, Souji voiced his grief with Tomochika-san. "She doesn't want to be friends with me because I'm a transfer student."

"Geez, man, that's harsh," Yosuke said. "I don't think she's worth it. But... Maybe she had a reason? I mean, we all like to jump to conclusions, but maybe her ex-boyfriend was a transfer student, or something. Can you imagine that? The jerk just leaves her hanging when he leaves. It's not fair that she's holding it against you, but, hey, people are like that." He punctuated his words with a sigh. Yosuke was probably speaking from experience, what with people associating him with Junes all the time...

And besides, it wasn't like Souji hadn't left everyone in Inaba behind himself... but he did try to stay in contact with his most important friends, at least.

"I didn't think of that," Souji said, considering it. "Thanks, Yosuke."

"Hey, no problem, partner!" Yosuke said breezily. "By the way, do you remember Ayane Matsunaga? Didn't she confess to you or something? You damned stud. But anyway, she's really matured since summer break. She's grown half a foot taller, and she grew her hair out longer. She's... she's really cute!"

"Go for it, Yosuke. You know music, and she's in band," Souji said. "Maybe it's a perfect match."

"Yeah? Yeah! I think I will!"

Souji frowned to himself. "Oh, but I think she wanted to study abroad..."

"...Dammit!"

They laughed a bit before Yosuke asked Souji if he was going to visit Inaba over Health and Sports Day. "It's the only holiday in October, partner."

"I know," Souji said, "but I think I'll wait until Culture Day. Midterms are coming up."

"Another month, huh...? Yeah, but I hear you. Heh, you know, Chie was trying to gather people for a study group. Chie!"

"What's wrong with that? She's done that before," Souji pointed out.

"Nothing. It's just... She's suddenly motivated to study. Not just 'let's all get together and socialize' type studying, but the real deal. She really wants to become a cop. I mean, I'm glad and all, but..." Yosuke sounded a bit frustrated. "I wish I had something like that. You know, a dream job to work towards, or something."

"What, you don't want to inherit Junes?" Souji teased.

"Oh my god, don't even joke about that!" Yosuke shouted into the phone. "It's not funny!"

"I think I know what you mean," Souji said. "You kind of miss the TV World?"

"Ah, I dunno..." Souji could imagine that Yosuke was scratching the back of his head. "It was exciting though, right? I don't think there's a way to recapture that. I can live without the almost dying and the pissing my pants parts of it all, though. But, yeah, I don't know what I'm going to do with my life... What about you?"

"I... yeah. I'm not sure." Hunting rogue Shadows as a Shadow Operative was apparently just a dream... No, he just needed to be patient... It was only a little over a month, after all, since he'd joined.

"You'll be a university professor somewhere," said Yosuke. "Mark my words. Eh, you wanna talk to Ted? No, dude! Wash your hands first. I do not want that on my phone—oh you little—"

Souji held his phone away from his ear, knowing what was next.

"SENSEI!"

Souji's shoulders heaved with laughter. "Hey, Teddie..."


	5. Chapter 5 - Iwatodai Dorm

Souji was eating lunch in the dorm's dining room on Health and Sports Day, his class notes strewn about the table from a morning of avid studying, when he received a call from Amada-kun.

"Seta-san?" the boy said. "It's a holiday, so the library is closed. I suppose we'll have to meet another day this week, or skip this week altogether. Although I'd rather not... I have another presentation coming up. I've practiced on my own, but... I'd like to have you hear it." The boy sounded a little embarrassed to admit it.

"We could meet somewhere else," Souji suggested. "I'm free today, if you are." He needed a break from studying, anyway.

"That's an idea," Amada-kun mused. "Ah, but where would we meet? My dorm is loud... You can probably hear those boys right now running in the halls outside my room."

That's right, Amada-kun lived in a dorm, too. Souji wondered about that... If that was the case, it wouldn't be an unfamiliar environment for him. "My dorm is rather quiet," he said. "We could go there."

"Are high school boys that much more mature? If so, I _really can't wait._" Ken almost shouted the last part because someone near him was screaming in the background.

"You'd have to take the train," Souji told him. "It's not far from Iwatodai Station. If that suits you."

"That will be fine with me. Anything is better than here..." Another shout behind the boy punctuated that sentiment.

* * *

"It's strange to meet outside of the library, isn't it?" Amada-kun commented upon seeing him under the station awning.

"Not too much," Souji said. They walked out of the station together, perhaps an incongruous duo: Amada-kun only came up to his chest. "It'll be strange when we get to the dorms. I'm the only one living there... It's almost too quiet. It's just me and the dog."

"I love it when I'm home alone. I tend to go a little wild." Amada-kun blushed at admitting that.

"Like wearing your underwear on your head?"

"Like wearing nothing but my underwear." Amada-kun laughed. Souji was surprised at his words. Maybe Amada-kun was opening up to him; it sounded like something he'd never admit in normal conversation. The holiday must have put him in a good mood.

They chatted breezily about inconsequential things until they passed the Naganaki Shrine. "Maiko-chan told me she used to play here all the time," said Amada-kun. "There's a playground. Look, you can see the jungle gym from here."

"And Maiko-chan is...?" Souji prompted.

"Oh! She's a girl at my school. She's a few years younger than me. Her parents divorced, so she doesn't live around here anymore, but she still goes to Gekkoukan Middle. I'll tell her I stopped by here."

"Your friend, huh?"

Amada-kun's body recoiled into a defensive pose. "Y-yeah, but that's all!" he shouted.

Souji laughed and held up his hands. "No, don't worry, I know exactly how that is. You can't have a girl as your friend without someone thinking she's your girlfriend." Souji thought darkly of Yosuke. Amada-kun might have been teased at school about the girl if he'd reacted that way. "Don't let it stop you. Some of my best friends are girls. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Just be yourself."

Amada-kun blinked at him. "Seta-san... Thank you."

* * *

Amada-kun began to tell him a little about his classmates and how he had met Maiko-chan, and everything seemed fine until they neared the dorm. Amada-kun slowed in his steps, suddenly unwilling to continue. "Forgive me, but... You really live around here...?"

"Yeah. I'm staying at the Iwatodai dorm." Amada-kun's face blanched at the name. "Is something the matter?" Souji asked.

"You can't live there!" Amada-kun declared. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Why... Why do you live there?"

"It's just where I was assigned..." Souji said with what he hoped was a disarming shrug.

Amada-kun shook his head. He was trembling. "It's closed... We closed it after... after... None of us wanted to go back..."

"'We'?" Souji asked.

"Why there... Why are you there?" Amada-kun repeated. "You said it was assigned to you? By who?"

"The Kirijo Group," Souji answered reluctantly, not sure if he should name names.

Amada-kun stared at him for over a minute, forgetting his carefully-groomed manners for the time being. "Mitsuru-san?" he finally asked.

"Yeah," Souji admitted. "She's the one who had me transferred to Gekkoukan High."

"Do you have a Persona?" Amada-kun asked bluntly.

It was Souji's turn to be surprised. "How do you..."

Amada-kun began to laugh. "I see, I see! I have one too." He seemed to relax. "So Mitsuru-san is involved... I trust she knows what she's doing. But I'm still not sure I want to go inside the dorm..."

"Bad memories?"

"Good memories. Bad memories. Ah... I lived here when I was eleven. Have you heard of SEES? It was a school club... It's disbanded now. Or, I thought it was..." Amada-kun was watching him closely.

Souji recalled the photograph in Mitsuru-san's penthouse office. He hadn't taken a good look at it, but he recalled that the plaque read 'SEES'... "No, I don't know anything about it."

Amada-kun paused and crossed his arms contemplatively. "We were trapped in this building once, while Aigis-san sought her answer. That's how she described it, anyway. It was—that experience is why we closed this dorm. Our memories of what happened that year... caused a rift in time. Umm... It's complicated. But I think it'll be okay now. I still wonder why you've been assigned here."

"You know Aigis-san, then," Souji noted.

"And you know _what_ she is." It wasn't a question.

Souji nodded. "An Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon. Do you know about Golden Week?"

"No..." Amada-kun frowned. "What about it?"

Souji cupped his chin in thought. "Do you stay in contact with Mitsuru-san?"

"No... She agreed to let me continue my education... to not involve me in any more Shadow-related things... to try to let me have a normal childhood." Amada-kun laughed. "A nice illusion. It can't be a coincidence that _you_ ended up my English tutor."

"I'm sorry," Souji said. "I'm not really sure what Mitsuru-san and Aigis-san are planning with me. It's a little frustrating, but... at the same time, I can't say I'm unhappy here. I think I'm happier here than I would be with my family." Which was kind of frightening to think about, actually, that he'd prefer to live here alone than with his own parents...

"I'm going to be worrying about you now, living here..." Amada-kun mumbled.

"Is it all right? You still look pale... You don't have to go in," Souji told him. "We can go somewhere else."

Amada-kun looked at his feet. "I think I'm alright. You haven't found a portal to another world or anything in there, have you?"

"I haven't touched the TV yet," Souji said, "so I can't guarantee it." He realized only after he said it that Amada-kun would have no idea what he meant.

The boy didn't ask. Amada-kun took a deep breath and then released it. "All right. It's okay. Let's go."

Souji opened the dormitory door and Koromaru bounded out to tackle Amada-kun. "K-Koro!" the boy laughed in delight. "That's right! You said there was a dog! And it's Koro-chan! I'll play with you in a minute—please let us in the door!" The dog relented and pranced around excitedly.

"You know Koromaru?" Souji asked.

"Yeah! He has a Persona too. What, you didn't know that?" Amada-kun shook his head. "That's really weird. Now I _really_ wonder what's going on. Ah, well. At least the dorm has a great big dining table. It's perfect for doing schoolwork! Oh... I see you figured that out already!" He laughed as Souji rapidly shoved his own class notes to one side of the table.

Souji sat across from Amada-kun. He noted that Koromaru was almost glued to the boy's side. They looked like a good team, somehow...

Amada-kun's face assumed a worried frown. He patted Koromaru's head absently and stared at his notes for several long moments, and he shivered in his seat before speaking. "It's just... surreal to be here again. I'm almost expecting to hear noise from Junpei playing a video game."

"So... Three years ago, you lived here and were in SEES?" Souji asked, wanting to confirm his understanding of Amada-kun's story.

Amada-kun nodded his affirmation.

"SEES... What was SEES? I know Mitsuru-san was in it... You said it was a school club?"

Amada-kun looked thoughtful as he considered his answer. "It stands for 'Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad' and yes, it was a club sponsored by Gekkoukan High. Everyone living here in this dorm was part of it."

"How did that club name get past the school board?" Souji wondered.

"Well, it helps that Kirijo owns the school." Amada-kun smiled.

"You were part of the team that explored Tartarus, then?"

Amada-kun nodded.

"And you were _eleven?_"

The boy stiffened. "Please don't think less of me due to my age."

"No, no..." Souji thought of how Naoto had already made a name for herself as a detective before she was even 15. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I was just surprised."

A short silence elapsed, punctuation by Amada-kun tapping his pen thoughtfully against the table.

"Amada-kun," Souji began. "You used to live here. Why is that last room on the second floor locked?" It was starting to bother him.

Amada-kun lifted the pen to the corner of his mouth. "It's locked? Huh... I guess Mitsuru-san and Aigis-san don't want anyone going in it."

Souji had assumed as much. Perhaps it was being used for storage or something. It still bothered him, though, to have all but two rooms accessible to him.

"As much as I want to talk to you about everything," – Amada-kun glared down at his schoolwork – "I really do need help with my English. Could we... Could we get that done first?"

Souji nodded and then they went to work.

* * *

It was hard, very hard, to focus. Souji wanted to synthesize the new information and find meaning in it all. That he'd been sent to tutor a Persona-wielding child was a surprise on its own, but more important was the fact that Aigis had completely neglected to mention it. She could have easily told him, "By the way, Amada-kun is a friend of mine," but she hadn't even said that much. He could only think that she hadn't wanted to pressure him into accepting the tutoring job.

He wondered if the Shadow Operatives had expected him to figure it out on his own somehow. He hadn't been given any instruction on what he could or couldn't say to other people. He supposed they trusted his discretion after the events at Inaba. Still, Amada-kun seemed unaware that the Shadow Operatives existed, and Souji could spill that to the boy, and Golden Week, too.

As of the moment, he didn't see any reason to, however. Maybe he should call Aigis-san later and talk to her about this. It had already been a month since his last contact with her, anyway.

* * *

"Well," Amada-kun began slowly. "I think that's all I need for this week, Seta-san. Thank you, again."

"You're welcome," Souji said. "You're an attentive student. I enjoy working with you."

"Umm..." Amada-kun hesitated, and Souji noticed how drained he looked. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I..."

Souji nodded. "It's been a shock, hasn't it? We can talk another time."

Amada-kun looked relieved. "Do you think... Could we take Koro for a walk? I need some fresh air, and..."

"Of course. We can walk you to the station together." Koromaru was already up and wagging his tail excitedly.

After seeing the boy off, Souji returned to the dormitory, where he had quite a difficult time studying for his exams. He had too many questions to count. But... he wasn't the sort of person to conduct an interrogation. He'd most likely let Amada-kun tell his story his own way, in his own time.


	6. Chapter 6 - Friends

He called Aigis that night, and she answered the phone readily. "Seta-san? It has been some time. I hope you are doing well."

"I am, thank you," he said. "And you. Aigis-san..."

"Yes?" she said. "I sense some hesitation. Has Koromaru been behaving well?"

It worried him a little that he couldn't find where the dog had hidden the dagger, but that wasn't important at the moment. "He's fine. I wanted to speak about Amada-kun. You... could have told me he was part of your team." He tried not to sound too reproachful.

Aigis assured him that she did not intend to deceive him. "It was simply not relevant to the task. Amada-kun needed an English tutor." The way she stated the facts was eerily similar to Naoto. If he was in a better mood, he might imagine them as sisters and be amused by the thought.

As it was, however, he wanted to get Aigis talking. "Well, he told me that he used to live in this same dorm, along with all of the others on your team, and that I'm the first person living here in years, and that he was part of your team, and that he has a Persona, and he knows Koromaru, too, who also has a Persona..."

"I'm glad you have hit it off so well with him."

Souji stared into the phone, trying to decide whether she was being sarcastic or not. He was never good at picking up that quality...

Aigis's voice softened. "Amada-kun is an important friend. His youth has always been a concern, but he has proven himself time and again to be quite capable. We don't want to coddle him as he grows up, but... we are all still looking out for him. You could be a positive influence on him."

Souji understood that, and didn't mind it. He'd been a role model for his cousin Nanako, too. "So... would you rather I not ask him about his experiences on your team?"

"Hmm. If you're curious about Tartarus, I believe Mitsuru-san would not mind speaking to you about it. Please, call her sometime and she will be glad to make an appointment. I would tell you about it myself, but... I joined the story partway, and... I was more robot than human then. I think back on my antics with some amusement."

"Aigis-san..."

"If Amada-kun wishes to speak with you," she went on, "please let him. He is a good boy. As for why we've set you up in that dorm... If a Shadow turns up, it's well-suited to it. If you were in a normal dorm with other, normal students, you would be severely restricted."

It made sense. Carrying weapons through Junes had sometimes been the hardest part of their forays into the TV World. Imagine hiding a katana from his fellow students, or worse, a dorm master. And Koromaru probably wouldn't be allowed in a normal dorm.

"Aigis-san..." he began slowly. "Do you think there are really Shadows that I should worry about? Nothing strange is happening around the school."

"I couldn't say," she said. "There is still much we have yet to learn about Shadows. They exist, certainly. Whether any will come to target Gekkoukan High... We can only speculate. If nothing happens, perhaps you can just enjoy your final year of high school?"

Souji was silent.

"It will be over before you know it. I don't mean that in a condescending way, Seta-san. But many of my colleagues' regrets are that they focused too much on Tartarus and not as much on school life. After your experiences in Inaba, perhaps you would welcome a break?"

_I would welcome it more if I was in Inaba,_ he wanted to say. "You're right. Thank you. Maybe I will join a club."

"Is there anything else? Do not hesitate to call at any time, Seta-san."

Souji ended the call after thanking her once again, and his mind turned to Inaba.

He missed Inaba. He missed Nanako-chan and the way she sang the Junes jingle. He missed his uncle's perpetual 3-day stubble. He missed Aiya's rainy day challenge; Hagakure wasn't the same. He missed getting sick on Topsicles with Teddie. He missed pulling Yosuke out of trash cans, and he missed Naoto's blue cap. He missed Kanji's sewing lessons. He missed training with Chie, and trying to teach Yukiko to cook (though, to be fair, he didn't miss tasting her cooking).

He missed all his friends... And he'd only been away from them for a little over a month.

At the same time, summer had been traumatic. Chie had almost died, and Naoki had... If he hadn't visited, the entire incident may have never happened...

* * *

"Did you hear?" a student asked his friend as Souji passed the school gates. Souji slowed down, curious. "The Gourmet King is in the hospital!"

"Whoa, really? He must've ate something bad!" The boy laughed.

"I dunno. They didn't say. But that magazine he writes for is looking for someone to fill in for him…"

"Hey!" said another boy, running up to greet them. "Don't the exam scores get released today?"

"Oh, crap!"

The trio rushed into the school.

Shaking his head wryly, Souji followed.

* * *

Indeed, the exam scores were posted on the board behind the shoe lockers. Souji was in the top 20, but at the top of his class was one 'K. Tomochika.'

"If only the last Tomochika had been so diligent," Ms. Toriumi, the teacher standing next to the board, said with a sigh. She wore a peach-colored dress suit and carried a clipboard. She seemed to be checking the scores on the board against those on her clipboard.

Souji asked her what she meant.

Ms. Toriumi turned from the board to face Souji. "Her brother, Kenji Tomochika. I suppose it doesn't matter in the end, since he made it to college. You seem to have done well, Souji-kun. You should be proud."

"Ms. Toriumi…" he began. "I know it's a bit late, but are there any clubs I could join?"

He was starting to feel like he was being lazy. Many of the other students went to cram school after class, and those that didn't had club activities to go to instead. Aigis was right—he should find something else to occupy his time.

She lowered the clipboard and peered at him. "Hmm… I'm sure there are a few still recruiting. Come along—I'll find the list."

She led him to the Faculty Office. Another teacher Souji did not recognize was already seated in a swivel chair. Ms. Toriumi greeted him with poorly-disguised distaste. "Mr. Ekoda."

Mr. Ekoda inclined his head. "Ms. Toriumi."

She confidently walked to a drawer and opened it, pulled out a sheaf of papers and flipped through them. "Ah, here. Let's see… For sports, the swim team, boxing team, and kendo seem to be open. And in arts… Do you play an instrument?"

"I'd rather not," he said.

"In arts you could probably join photography. You wouldn't have missed anything. I believe the art club is already in the middle of a contest, not that it should stop you from joining. You could just sit it out until the next one."

"Hmm," he said, thinking. His most recent experience with art was just helping Nanako-chan with a project… It had been a macaroni collage that he kind of ended up eating a sizable part of...

"And finally, the electronics club is always open." Ms. Toriumi was smiling at him as if sharing a private joke. When he failed to respond to that, she explained, "I'm the faculty adviser to that one."

Souji raised an eyebrow behind his bangs. "The electronics club?"

"Computers and games," she said. "That sort of thing. Anything tech."

Mr. Ekoda snorted, and Ms. Toriumi glared at him.

"I'd like to join kendo," Souji said.

"Great," she said. She gave him their practice schedule and promised to sign him up.

* * *

After school, Tomochika-san was doing what she did best: ignoring Souji and reading a book. This time it was a biography on Kiyoshi Hikawa.

"You like enka, huh?" he asked her, and of course got no response. He wished he had more to say on the topic—maybe he could get her talking by showing an interest—but he didn't know anything about enka at all. It was probably a miracle he even recognized the singer's name.

He sighed. "Why won't you talk to me? When everyone else talks to you, you answer, but when it's me, you don't."

No reaction.

Time for something different.

"How is Kenji?" he asked.

There was a sharp intake of breath, and she put down her book. "What... do you want...?" she growled.

"I want to know why you're so set on ignoring me."

She picked up her book again and resumed reading, but she looked...

She looked shaken. She wasn't even reading—she was just staring at the page.

"Tomochika-san?" he said quietly.

"If you know my brother, then you should _know,_" she said without looking at him.

He watched her for a moment. "I don't know Kenji," he admitted. "Just his name. That was a bluff."

She closed the book, picked up her book bag, and left the classroom without another word.

Well, that didn't go over very well. He sighed and idly looked over at the two boys still in the classroom.

"The movie theater at Port Island Station," one of them was saying, "is doing that marathon special again. You wanna go, Taishi?"

Taishi stretched and yawned. "Sure. Hey, why don't we bring the new guy?" He looked over at Souji and waved. "Souji-kun, you wanna come? You don't have cram school or anything today, right?"

Souji blinked at the invitation. "Sure."

The three of them spent the afternoon and evening at the movie theater, snacking on junk food there instead of going anywhere for dinner. The movies were the animated kind with talking animals that were intended for younger kids, but with subtle jokes aimed at adults and an interesting CGI animation style that appealed to all ages.

After their third movie, they called it quits and left the theater. They talked and laughed about some of the sillier scenes, repeating their favorite lines while they walked up the stairs to the train station. The third boy left Taishi and Souji there since he lived near the station and didn't need to take the train.

Taishi stopped before entering the station. "I do live in Iwatodai, but..." He seemed a little embarrassed.

"Hmm? If you need train fare, I can spot you," Souji told him. "It's not a problem." He reached into his pocket to find some coins.

"It's not that... It's just... I'd prefer to walk. We were sitting all day, you know?" Taishi laughed, but it seemed a little forced. "So, umm, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"I don't mind walking." Somehow, Taishi looked like he could use company. Souji had noticed that he'd been somewhat restless during the movies. It wasn't that the glasses-wearing boy didn't want to be there—he'd definitely had fun—but Souji suspected something was bothering him.

Taishi almost flinched in surprise. "Oh, umm, it's kind of far," he protested. "I couldn't make you do that."

"I would like to see the Moonlight Bridge again," Souji said.

"Ah, you sound like a tourist! But, you're right, we'll have to cross that... Well, if you're sure..." The black-haired boy hesitantly started walking away from the station, and Souji followed him.

He wasn't a fast walker; he set a leisurely pace that Souji easily matched. The walking seemed to relax him. He began to talk about their teachers and classmates. "Haruka is so annoying! Be glad she doesn't sit behind you!" Taishi laughed. "She kept poking me with a pen today because I didn't notice the new ribbons in her hair. I mean, who notices that?"

Souji tried to remember the ribbons Haruka had worn today and couldn't picture them at all.

"Right? At least Tomo is harmless. You're quite lucky, Souji-kun."

Souji was reminded to ask about Kenji. "Do you know her brother?"

"Tomo's brother?" Taishi slowed a bit to think it over. "He's a few years older than her. In college, I think. I'm sorry. I've never met him. Are you worried he's protective of her, or something?"

"N-no, I was just curious."

Fortunately, the topic could be dropped since they'd arrived at the Moonlight Bridge. It was a four-lane suspension bridge that spanned the channel between the Port Island and the mainland. At this hour of the night, lit primarily by streetlights and vehicle headlights, it looked foreboding rather than majestic. It would have been better to visit it during the day, or near sunset, perhaps.

They began to cross the bridge, walking on the sidewalk. The noise from vehicles passing by made it difficult to talk, but it didn't stop them. "You haven't fished in a while," Taishi said conversationally as they overlooked the water in the channel. "Or did you find someplace else? I haven't seen you on the pier since that one time."

Did he walk the pier every day? Souji wondered. "I didn't catch much of anything. I was going to do some research and ask around before trying again. I have a feeling I was using the wrong bait." Crickets and other bugs might appeal to rural fish, but maybe city fish had different tastes.

"Well, just so you know, you can't fish on this bridge." Taishi pointed to a comical sign with a big cartoon fish that stated just that, and they both had a laugh.

They reached the end of the bridge and entered the Iwatodai city district. It was getting pretty late. Souji resigned himself to not studying this evening. Well, sometimes you just needed to spend a day relaxing. He still had some English homework to do, though... He had to write a haiku or something. Maybe he could write it about the bridge.

Taishi interrupted his thoughts. "Umm, Souji-kun, thanks for walking with me. Sometimes company is nice to have."

"Do you walk to school in the morning, too?" Souji asked. It was pretty far, but he'd never seen Taishi on the train. They would have probably crossed paths once by now, even with how busy the station was in the morning.

"Y-yeah, I do," Taishi admitted. "I'm weird, huh?" He sounded bitter.

Souji shrugged. He could name a dozen weirder people.

"It's just..." Taishi said haltingly, "I got sick a few years ago, and when I got better, I had to have physical therapy to be able to walk again. I get scared sometimes that it'll happen again. I walk a lot now to sort of make up for that, I guess. To appreciate that I can walk as much as I want, you know?"

"You could have picked up a worse habit," Souji said. He smiled at his classmate kindly. "Walking is good for you. As long as you make sure to eat enough to make up for the energy you use, you'll be fine."

"Yeah? Thanks, man. I didn't mean to tell you all that, but..."

"It's quite all right," Souji assured him. "Everyone has a different way of relaxing. My friends back home think my fishing is weird."

The boy shook his head. "That's not weird. My aunt and uncle go out on a cruiser and fish every Saturday. Hey, I'll ask them for advice, if you'd like!"

"That... that would be nice," Souji admitted.

Taishi stopped walking to take his glasses off. "Dang, they fogged up all of a sudden... And I lost my glasses cleaning cloth in the theater. It was too dark in there to find it, you know? I hate using my shirt..."

Souji handed him a microfiber cloth from his pocket.

"Huh? Why do you have this?" Taishi asked. "Uh, thanks, though!" He wiped his glasses with the cloth and then handed it back to Souji.

"I used to wear glasses," Souji said. Only in the TV World—but Taishi didn't need to know that!

Taishi smiled at him. "Well, thanks again for walking with me. Umm, I turn left here, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow, huh?"

Souji watched Taishi make his turn before heading the rest of the way home himself. That kid sure was dedicated. The autumn heat made Souji hot, sweaty, and thirsty. He couldn't imagine not taking the train to school in the morning. But Souji hadn't been lying—if that's what made Taishi relax, then he should keep it up, even if people thought it was weird.


	7. Chapter 7 - Silly Seta

Souji knew he should study, but... Amada-kun had let slip during their last meeting that he had a big soccer game today. Souji hadn't told him, but he intended to be there to support him. After letting Koromaru out for the afternoon, Souji made his way to the soccer field where the game was going to be and took a seat near a bunch of parents who were wearing Gekkoukan's colors.

As the dance machine at Game Panic had proven, Souji wasn't the most coordinated with his feet. Soccer, then, had never been his best sport. He was better with his hands, so he'd done well as a baseball pitcher during his middle school years and had been in the basketball club at Yasogami. He'd gone to a few soccer games to support Daisuke last year, so he knew how the game was played, but it wasn't his interest. He couldn't name any famous soccer players, or even any teams in the area.

He had a good time, anyway, though he paid more attention to the team dynamics than the game itself. It was obvious that Ken-chan—err, Amada-kun—was good friends with several of his teammates by how animated he was when talking with them on the sidelines between quarters. Despite Amada-kun's words about not relying on caffeine, Souji believed he'd at least had several candy bars before the game—the boy was quite hyper on the field, long legs pumping as he ran after the ball. For a short kid, he had long legs, or maybe they seemed that way due to the way he wore his shorts. And although he never scored himself, Amada-kun had been the one to skillfully pass the ball to his teammate who then scored the shot that won them the game.

* * *

Amada-kun called him on Sunday to ask if they could have their tutoring session at the Iwatodai dormitory again. "I want to see Koro-chan," the boy admitted.

"Sure," Souji told him. "If you don't eat after school, I'll make dinner."

"Really? That sounds... nice. Umm, Seta-san? Thanks for coming to my soccer game. I saw you in the crowd... You didn't have to." Amada-kun sounded bashful.

"I wanted to," Souji replied. "You're pretty good. Soccer isn't my sport. I like basketball."

"Well, basketball isn't mine, for obvious reasons." The boy chuckled. "I'll see you tomorrow, then, Seta-san."

* * *

After a productive day of English tutoring and a Souji-cooked meal of somen and tsuyu to ward off the heat still lingering from summer, Amada-kun played with Koromaru in the Iwatodai dorm.

As it grew later, Souji knew he should send Amada-kun home, but the boy seemed to be having so much fun with Koromaru that he was content to watch the two of them play for a little while longer.

Amada-kun threw the chew toy down the hall, and Koromaru chased after it, but when he reappeared, he had the dagger in his mouth instead.

"Koro!" Amada-kun scolded with a laugh. "That's not what you were supposed to fetch!"

Koromaru whined and drew his ears back. Then he threw back his head, slashed at the air, and made an inquiring sound.

"No, Koro-chan!" Amada-kun said. "I can't, I'm not..." The boy was blushing with embarrassment.

Souji had jumped to his feet in alarm when he saw the dog with the dagger. "Koromaru," he said in a no-nonsense voice. "Put it down. Now."

The dog whined and growled and then whined again.

"It's okay, Seta-san," Amada-kun said. "He... he wants to train. I'm sorry, Koro-chan. The fight's over. You know that."

As if he understood, the dog lowered his head and whined dejectedly, dagger still gripped in his teeth.

Amada-kun looked sad, too, but then his face brightened. "Hey... Seta-san, you don't happen to have a mop or broom around, do you?"

Wordlessly, Souji opened a closet and handed the boy a broom. Amada-kun unscrewed the handle and set aside the bristled end. He twirled the broom handle around like a baton. "Mm, a bit too light, but... Koro, let's go!"

The dog barked excitedly, and leaped at Amada-kun, who brought down the broom handle in time to intercept the dagger coming at him. Amada-kun pushed back, and the dog went flying with a whine, but landed gracefully on his feet and immediately made another charge at the boy, who sidestepped and then twirled around the handle to kick the dog's rump.

They continued their play-fight until both boy and dog were out of breath and panting.

"I still have it!" Amada-kun breathed, laughing as Koromaru knocked him over to lick his face.

"You..." Souji began. "You're good." He didn't bother to hide the admiration on his face. The boy was agile and had blocked many of Koromaru's attacks, and he had read through the dog's feints, and he'd been able to recover from the few times he'd missed. "No wonder you were part of Mitsuru-san's team. I'd definitely want you on mine. And the dog, too."

"Mmm," said the boy, still trying to push Koromaru away. He finally got to his feet and then dusted off stray dog hair from the front of his uniform. "I _am_ on your team, Seta-san! That is, if you find yourself in need, I have experience. I even carry my Evoker with me at all times." He opened his jacket and pulled out a gun.

Souji jumped and yelped.

"Seta-san?"

A dog with a knife, okay. A child with a gun? "P-put it down," Souji asked weakly, brushing his silver bangs uselessly away in agitation.

"You... don't know what an Evoker is?" Amada-kun was looking at him wonderingly. "Huh. You don't know what an Evoker is. It's all right, Seta-san. Please sit down." Amada-kun replaced the gun in his holster and kindly guided Souji to the lounge's nearest couch and then sat at the other couch across from him.

Souji nibbled his lower lip. "You came straight from school? You had that with you at school...?"

He paused. _You have that with you_ at all times _at school!?_ His mind was reeling. _Calm down, Seta, you've seen stranger things on this earth._

Amada-kun took the gun out again and held it in his hands, carefully aiming it at the floor. "It's not a gun, Seta-san. It may look like it, but... How do you have a Persona and not know what an Evoker is?"

"I don't understand the question," Souji told him.

"Mitsuru-san didn't give you one?"

Souji hesitated. The gun Aigis had given him was still locked in its briefcase behind the reception counter. "I... Yeah, I was given one, but..."

"You didn't know what it was," Amada-kun finished for him, awestruck.

"I still don't know what it is, Amada-kun."

Amada-kun held his Evoker out to him, handle first. "Here. I think you'll understand once you touch it."

Souji leaned away and made no move to take it. "N-no, thanks."

Amada-kun huffed. "Seta-san, please. I respect you, but you're being silly."

"Silly!? I don't like guns." Naoto's gun, sure, Naoto had been a crack shot and her skill with it had saved him innumerable times, but he'd never wanted to touch the weapon. The acrid reek of the gunpowder that clung to the detective's clothes and followed her hours after she was done using it made him ill.

And then there was that time he'd entered the TV World alone to confront Adachi, and Adachi had put his gun to the back of his head, and...

He still had nightmares about that night.

He shuddered. No. No guns.

"Seta-san," Amada-kun said in a soothing voice. "It's not a gun. It only looks like one. It's used to summon your Persona." Amada-kun turned the weapon over in his hands, thinking. "Seeing is believing, I suppose. Kala-Nemi!"

Before Souji could act, the boy put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

Blue fog sprayed out of his head like splattering blood and coalesced into an orange-and-black figure with large, spherical rotating metal-framed shoulders decorated with Zodiac symbols—Amada-kun's Persona.

Amada-kun basked in Kala-Nemi's presence, his face aglow with pure joy. Soon the Persona dissipated, and he sighed with obvious longing.

Souji opened and closed his mouth several times. A Persona... in the real world? He'd been told it was possible, but he and his friends had spent an afternoon trying with nothing to show for it. He'd dismissed it as a rumor, but...

Oh! Of course it was possible—the Shadow Operatives had no TV World. Yes, both Shadows and Personas could exist in the real world. Why would he even be here, otherwise?

It was... just a surprise to see it demonstrated so _violently._

Amada-kun smiled at Souji with an unrecognizable expression—part pride and part nostalgia, perhaps. "And that's an Evoker. It's shaped like a gun to provide the mental stress that's needed to activate the summoning." Amada-kun looked down at the Evoker and ran a finger along its barrel, and then he held it out once again to Souji. "Here, will you at least touch it, now?"

Souji took it without a word and inspected it gingerly. Hah, what a fool he was. It didn't even have a magazine. "You just... fire it at your head?" he asked, glancing at the boy.

"That's where your Persona is, right? Firing it elsewhere has never occurred to me."

Souji gripped the Evoker and held it up, but... even though he knew it wasn't a real gun, it was... it was very difficult for him to turn it towards his head. Some sort of self-preservation instinct was at work trying to keep it away.

To his relief, Amada-kun didn't comment on his hesitation. "You don't have to show me your Persona, although I must admit I am curious..." He looked at Souji's shaking hand thoughtfully. "Even some members of SEES had trouble convincing themselves to fire their Evokers at times."

Souji put the weapon down. "Really? But... I need to get over this. If I ever need my Persona, I need to be ready to do this."

"I wish I could give you advice," Amada-kun said, "but... I've never had a problem using it. Facing death... There was a time I didn't want to live, so... it was rather easy for me, and still is." He chuckled darkly. "Well, in present time, opportunities to use a Persona are few and far between... So there's no hurry, Seta-san."

"Yeah... Besides, this is yours. I'll... I'll get mine out soon." Souji handed the Evoker back to Amada-kun, who re-holstered it.

Still shaken over the experience, Souji didn't ask further questions of Amada-kun, and soon the boy decided it was time to return to his own dorm before his dormmates grew concerned at his absence. Souji walked the boy to the station again with Koromaru, wondering the whole time how the Evoker worked and who'd made it.


	8. Chapter 8 - Memento Mori

Souji had written off Tomochika-san. He wasn't going to get through to her, and frankly, he wondered why he had even bothered when Haruka and Natsumi and Taishi were so much more interested in hanging out with him. He'd gone with them to the Paulownia Mall several times now, to Game Panic and the cafe, though he'd resisted Haruka's attempts to take him to the karaoke lounge.

But one mid-October afternoon, right after the dismissal bell, Tomochika-san tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. "Wait until we're alone," she whispered with her nose still deep in a book, "and then we'll talk."

Curious now, Souji obediently waited, pretending to fumble with his school bag in order to excuse staying behind later than normal. When everyone was out of the room, he turned to her. She'd put her book away and was calmly looking at him.

"Haruka is really a pain," she began.

Souji adopted an inquiring look.

She sighed. "She wouldn't stop bothering me to talk to you. Seta-san. I don't have anything against you, really. But..." She grimaced.

"But I'm a transfer student," he finished, his voice flat.

"It's difficult to explain in a satisfactory way," she said. She nibbled at her index finger's nail while she thought.

"It's true," Souji said, "that I'm not sure where I'll go after I graduate... And my situation is unusual... so it might not be... worth... getting to know me..." He couldn't promise that something wouldn't come up that would force him to leave school suddenly. It burned him inside to have to admit it, that being his friend might not be advisable.

Tomochika-san was shaking her head. "That's not it. It's my brother, Kenji. He..." She paused. "When he was a student here, in his second year, his best friend was a transfer student. He wouldn't shut up about him. It was really annoying."

"I'm... sorry?"

"He talked about him all the time. Well, when he wasn't talking about Ms. Kanou. I'd never met him before, but it was like I knew him, you know? Because of how often Kenji spoke about him."

"Yeah?" Souji hazarded.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "You're wondering what this has to do with you. Nothing, really. I'm just selfish." Souji opened his mouth to reply, but she stood up suddenly. "Come on. The roof. I'll show you."

* * *

At the far end of the school's roof was a large square plot of colorful pink and orange flowers framing some sort of placard.

_In memory of Minato Arisato (1992-2010)_

_Memento Mori_

They looked at the memorial in silence together for several minutes.

"Kenji was never the same after," Tomochika-san said finally, her voice barely audible.

"Tell me about him?"

"I told you I never met him, but... He was a popular guy. The fastest runner on Track Team, and he was on the Student Council and was friends with its president. He had good grades even though he sometimes slept in class... He loved karaoke and I think he still has the highest score on Mole Whackers at Game Panic."

"How... did he die?" Souji asked.

"Some sort of heart failure. They said it was caused by stress or something. Seta-san... He died _right here on the roof_ on the very last day of school. It was such a _fluke._ It made no sense." She chewed her lower lip in frustration. "They say he'd talked to everyone who was still around campus after school that day, and he'd looked really tired, but it was like he knew that he was going to..."

Souji tried to make a comforting noise.

Tomochika-san jerked her head towards him. "Kenji's last words to him, do you know what they were? They were about me! Kenji was complaining that I was going to be a freshman the next year."

There were unshed tears in her eyes.

Souji didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry," he tried.

She shook her head and wiped her eyes. "It's not your fault. It's just... I had to help Kenji recover from the loss, so... It's silly... It's a silly reason to avoid you, Seta-san, but Kenji... When I told him there was a transfer student sitting in front of me, he told me..." She sighed. "He's just worried that I'd have to go through the same, if something happened to you. I mean, I'm not saying you're going to die, but transfer students... It seems something always happens to them at Gekkoukan."

"Thank you for telling me," Souji said with complete honesty.

"You aren't mad?" she asked.

Souji tried speaking several times before finally forming words. "A friend of mine died over summer. It's... Really, I don't mind... I understand."

Tomochika-san's countenance suddenly turned into a look of horror as a connection was made in her mind. "Inaba... That's where all those murders took place..."

Souji didn't say anything, but he hoped her next words weren't, 'no wonder you transferred' like he'd heard so often at the school he'd attended in the spring semester.

"And here I am," she said, scowling apparently at herself, "complaining to you about a boy I've never even met. Inaba's a small town, right? You... did you know any... No, I won't ask." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Seta-san. I've been horrible to you. Just shameful."

"You had a better reason than I thought," Souji told her. "And... I'm glad you have a big brother who cares about you."

"Hmph! Kenji's a big jerk... Maybe I get it from him." She laughed, but it was bitter and humorless. "Seta-san, I'm going now. See you tomorrow."

He called after her, "Goodbye, and thanks for telling me," but he didn't know if she heard; she was already heading down the stairwell.

He remained at the small memorial for some time. Minato Arisato, transfer student, deceased. If he'd passed away at the end of the school year in 2010, that meant he'd been a student in 2009.

Three years ago...

* * *

Souji walked to the public library, but his mind wasn't on English. As it turned out, neither was Amada-kun's. He found the boy poring over a newspaper article at an empty desk, his schoolwork in a neat little stack on the side. The boy looked troubled, so Souji asked him if everything was all right.

"Oh, Seta-san..." Amada-kun shoved the article into his shorts pocket. "Everything's fine. Today I'm working on this." He pulled out a worksheet and Souji glanced over it. Irregular verb conjugation. This could be tricky.

Throughout the lesson, Amada-kun was distant. Souji had just finished explaining the difference between 'bend' and 'bent' when the boy shook his head and blinked. "I'm sorry, Seta-san. I wasn't... I didn't hear what you just said. I think... That might be it for today."

"Are you sure everything's all right?" Souji asked, concerned. This wasn't like Amada-kun at all.

The boy stared down at the table, thinking. He looked at Souji with an unhappy grimace. "Promise you won't laugh..."

Oh, boy, Souji prayed it would not be girl problems. Amada-kun was at just the right age for that...

Amada-kun took out the newspaper article he'd been reading earlier, and unfolded it and handed it to Souji.

It was about the next Phoenix Ranger Featherman R movie that was set to come out next summer. One of the star actors had become sick, and so the movie's production was on indefinite hiatus.

"Oh... were you looking forward to it?" Souji had stopped watching the show after they added another girl ranger. Her high voice had reminded him too much of Rise.

"No," Amada-kun replied too quickly. "B-But... More importantly, they didn't say which ranger is sick. What if it's...? Umm, if you read the whole article, one of the people they interviewed said it was a 'she,' so that narrows it down."

"I see..." Souji glanced over the article again. The skills from Hyperspeed Reading were coming in handy. "And they didn't release what illness she has." The doctors hadn't released a prognosis of any sort, either, so there was no estimated recovery time. The actor had not been named for contractual reasons.

Amada-kun seemed to be struggling internally over something. "Seta-san, I can tell you. The pink ranger... her actress is Yukari Takeba. She was a member of SEES. She was our healer when we explored Tartarus... So I don't think she'd get sick, but..."

"A Persona's healing ability doesn't stop one from getting sick," Souji noted, remembering when Teddie had taken care of him after New Years. If only an Amrita could cure the common cold...

"That's true... but Seta-san, if it was a normal illness, they wouldn't even announce it, right?" Amada-kun was twisting the pencil in his hands and biting his lower lip.

"As a star, she'll have the best doctors available," Souji assured him.

"You're right. Of course." Amada-kun looked down at the desk for a moment. "Takeba-san and I weren't very close, so I don't have her contact information... But I still worry about her."

Souji reached out to pat him on the head, but drew back, knowing the kid wouldn't appreciate it. "It'll be all right," he settled on saying.

Amada-kun didn't answer.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Souji pulled out his phone, pressed a few keys, and showed the screen to Amada-kun.

"What...?" the boy began.

"Those are my friends in Featherman ranger costumes. I'm the one in the middle. Red Hawk."

Those costumes had been almost exorbitantly expensive at Croco Fur, but the look on his friends' faces when he'd brought them out that day in the TV World had been priceless.

Amada-kun stared at the picture until the screen went idle from lack of input. "...Seta-san. You're a strange person."

"Here, I have some single shots, too." Souji moved behind the boy, unlocked the screen, and pressed the next button to show him more pictures. "They're official costumes, too. We only wore them a few times." The detail put into them had impressed Kanji, the team's resident tailor, which was no mean feat.

"These are your friends, huh...?" Amada-kun mused. "Who's the really round one?" Amada-kun pointed at the White Swallow.

"Oh, that's Teddie. And that's Kanji next to him. He's the tallest of the team. Oh, here, the green one is Chie, and she's kicking Yosuke."

"...That looks like it hurt."

"It probably did," Souji agreed.

"Why do you have a katana? Red Hawk doesn't use a katana," Amada-kun pointed out.

"We thought it would be fun to pose with our weapons since we had them with us, anyway. We'd been training that day."

Amada-kun narrowed his eyes. "...Do all your friends have Personas?"

Souji paused for only a moment. He trusted Amada-kun. "...Yeah. We had our own fight to fight," he admitted. Amada-kun didn't comment. "Oh, and here's what we all look like without the costumes." Souji named all the members of his team.

Without thinking, he pressed the key for the next picture. He blinked for just a second before quickly switching it back.

But Amada-kun had caught sight of it. "...Was that your friend Yosuke in a schoolgirl uniform?"

"I don't even know why I have that picture." He didn't know why he had _taken_ that picture. It was a candid shot and Yosuke would kill him if he knew.

He'd never taken a picture of Kanji in his cross-dressing pageant costume because Kanji deserved better. Yosuke... not so much.

"I take it back," said Amada-kun. "It's not just you. Your friends are strange, too."

Souji didn't disagree.

Amada-kun drummed his fingers on the table while Souji put his phone away. "Seta-san..." he began. "You don't still happen to have those costumes?"

"No, I left them at home. Uh, that is, with my uncle and cousin." Huh, he was _still_ thinking of the Dojima residence as his home. That had been over half a year ago, now...

Amada-kun sighed. "You were trying to cheer me up, weren't you? ...Thank you, Seta-san."

"If that didn't work, we can go out for Topsicles," Souji offered.

Amada-kun stiffened. "I don't need ice cream to cheer me up, Seta-san."

"But I like Topsicles..." Souji protested.

Amada-kun looked at his deadpan face and slowly began to smile. He shook his head. "So absurd... You really mean that, don't you...?"

* * *

That evening, Souji sat in the lounge and took the dubious initiative to call Rise. He held out the phone away from his ear after pressing the dial button; much like with Teddie, he knew what was to come.

"_Senpaiiii!?_"

Koromaru whimpered and padded out of the room.

The shrill voice continued. "Omigosh, it is _so_ great to hear from you! How's Tokyo, or, umm, wherever your parents ended up?"

"Hey, Rise," he said, gingerly bringing the phone to his ear. "It's... fine. Actually, I'm calling because I had a question."

"Shoot, Senpai!"

"You know a lot of famous people... Do you happen to know the stars of that Featherman movie coming out next year?"

Rise laughed musically. "Oh, Senpai, are you hoping for some autographs? I didn't know you were a fan of that~"

He explained that one of the actors was ill, and that he was wondering if she had insider information on which actor it was.

"Senpai! You shouldn't _use_ me like this!" She sounded like she was pouting on the other end. "It's really not fair... But..."

"_Please,_ Rise?"

"I'll ask around," she promised. "Now, Senpai, tell me all about what you've been up to~"

After he finally extricated himself from the call, it was only another 20 minutes or so before she texted him with the answer.

Pink Argus, Yukari Takeba.


	9. Chapter 9 - Tremors of the Past

Souji underlined the last sentence in his notebook, not because it was important, but because there wasn't much else to do while waiting for their Composition teacher, Ms. Toriumi, to switch in. Haruka was busy fussing with Natsumi's hair, Taishi had put on his headphones, and Tomochika-san was... Tomochika-san.

Time passed and the teacher didn't show up. The volume level in the classroom steadily increased as more and more students began to talk until Souji was sure the teacher next door would come in and lecture them.

In fact, the classroom's front door did open, but it was a teacher unfamiliar to him: an unshaven man with black hair, thick-rimmed glasses, and a pencil over his ear. He wore a loose white lab coat over a yellow shirt that depicted hands in prayer. He shuffled in rather casually in sandals.

Haruka groaned. "Not Mr. Edogawa..."

"Since Ms. Toriumi seems to have taken a French leave, you can put your Composition books away," the strange substitute teacher announced. "Today you're going to learn a Tibetan creation myth. Pha Trelgen Changchup Sempa. Hmm? Was that hard for you to say? I'll say it again. Pha Trelgen Changchup Sempa... The Tibetan monkey-father."

* * *

"God, I can't stand that guy," Haruka said after Mr. Edogawa's class ended. "He's sooo boring, and he believes in all this hokey mumbo jumbo... Souji-kun, what are you writing...? Wait, you took notes!?"

Souji looked up at her, still hunched over his desk with pen in hand. "It was... interesting." He was trying to remember where he'd seen that teacher before. Hadn't he done a strangely-relevant special lecture on that Yasogami field trip? About Izanagi and Izanami...

"Who cares what some people on some mountain somewhere think about where people come from? Besides, Ms. Toriumi is definitely not gonna quiz us on that."

"I thought it was interesting, too," Tomochika-san commented. "Besides, we might be tested on it anyway."

Haruka's mouth opened wide. "Whoa, Tomo! You talked! In front of Souji-kun! Did you... Did you listen to me?"

Souji nodded. "We're friends now."

Tomochika-san rolled her eyes, but she didn't protest.

"Good," said Haruka. "Now you can have lunch with Souji-kun and invite him to your book club."

Tomochika-san passed a hand over her eyes. "Haruka, please. I thought you were the one with a crush on him. Please don't project onto me."

"I have a boyfriend," Haruka announced. "Sorry, Sou-kun!"

"I'm glad for you," Souji said with honesty and veiled relief.

Haruka grabbed Taishi's collar and dragged him forcefully towards her. The boy gagged as the collar choked him. "It's Taishi!" she declared.

Taishi pulled himself away and panted before shouting, "What is wrong with you, woman!? There's no way I'd go out with you!"

Haruka stuck her tongue out at him and turned back to Souji. "I was just kidding. He's actually in class 3-C. We're going out to the Sweet Shop at Iwatodai tomorrow. He's got cram school today."

Souji glanced at Tomochika-san with amusement—and found that although the girl had a book open, she was watching the conversation. He smiled to himself. She really did pay attention to her surroundings. Maybe she wasn't quite as unsociable as she pretended to be.

* * *

Ms. Toriumi didn't show up to school the next day, nor the day after, and rumors began to fly—she'd run off to elope with someone—she quit her job—she'd won the lottery...

"Mr. Edogawa! What happened to our Composition teacher?" Natsumi asked.

"It seems she grew tired of this world," Mr. Edogawa said. He readjusted his glasses on his nose.

The class as a whole gasped. "She—she's dead!?" Haruka wailed.

Mr. Edogawa scratched his neck. "Not quite. Seems that Apathy Syndrome might be making a comeback, eeheehee. But don't you worry. I'll teach you some charms today to keep it away! It's all in the mind, anyway, of which I'm an expert."

"Apathy Syndrome...?" Tomochika-san muttered from the seat behind Souji. And she wasn't the only one who seemed surprised; several other students were shifting in their seats and making noise. Taishi had put his hands over his head, and Haruka was clutching herself as if she was cold.

Souji glanced at Tomochika-san uneasily. "What is that?"

Mr. Edogawa heard him. "Ah, our transfer student doesn't know about Apathy Syndrome? Hmm, hmm! You mustn't be from around here. Perhaps for today's lecture we'll talk about death cults and Apathy Syndrome and the end of the world."

Almost the entire class protested, several students even taking to their feet. They were far more vocal than Souji had ever seen them. "Please no!"

"Sensitive subjects, I see!" Edogawa said with a faint smile. "You can't forget the past. Ah, but, Seta-kun, you'll have to ask one of your fellow classmates later. Today we'll talk instead about shamanism in South America. Is something far from home more palatable today? Good, good."

* * *

"So... What is Apathy Syndrome?"

"Ugh, I knew you were going to ask!" Haruka sounded quite unhappy. "Souji-kun..."

"It was a big problem a few years ago," Tomochika-san said. She didn't sound happy or unhappy. Neutral. Just her normal self.

"Yeah... You know what?" Haruka said. "I'm gonna leave this one to Tomo! She probably knows what causes it. She probably invented the cure herself! Yeah! See you tomorrow, Souji-kun!"

She was gone in an instant, and Souji blinked at her absence. "She didn't want to talk about it, did she?" he commented.

Now Tomochika-san looked unhappy. "It's harder for some people than others. Today, Apathy Syndrome serves as either the punchline to jokes made in poor taste, or as a bitter memory that people want to forget ever happened. Tatsumi Port Island's dark secret, although not really a secret."

"Will you tell me?" Souji asked.

Tomochika-san spoke slowly and seemed to be choosing her words with care. "As far as we know, it was a mental condition. Imagine a hikikomori, but worse. A person so withdrawn that he no longer talks or eats or moves—like they've suddenly gone into a coma. It was a mystery illness. It would hit people randomly, with no rhyme or reason, and it was rather widespread around this area, oh, about three years ago. Then it suddenly went away, and most of the people who had it got better."

Souji frowned. He _had_ heard the term 'Apathy Syndrome' used before, now that she mentioned it, but never in any context to make him take notice until now. "How widespread are we talking? What caused it? What ended it?"

"At its height, I'd say half of the city had it. I heard there were cases all over the country, too, but it was most prevalent here. Everyone knew someone with it... No one knows what caused it, so it was rather frightening. If Ms. Toriumi really has it... It's troubling. The news never really talked about a cure... I remember the end of it was sudden, so it wasn't like the doctors had invented a cure and people had to go to the doctor to get the medicine. It was just there one day, gone the next, as if it had never been."

"That's strange," Souji said.

"Isn't it?" Tomochika-san sighed. "It was a bad time to live around here... You'd see them all over the street, just lying there or standing there, completely unresponsive to everyone and everything. Very creepy. I think a lot of people died because of it... if they didn't have any friends or family to find them and take care of them, they'd literally starve to death... And rumors went around that it was contagious, so some people stayed away from anyone who had it, or anyone who simply knew someone with it. It led to some bullying in school. I remember that..." She scowled, and Souji wondered if she had a personal anecdote to share.

"And... the death cult that Mr. Edogawa mentioned?"

Her mouth quirked. "Yeah... I don't remember too much about it, but with Apathy Syndrome so rampant, some people thought it was signaling the end of the world. It was... It was a very strange time to live here."

"Did you know anyone with it?"

"Everyone knows someone who had it. It's not polite to ask, Seta-san."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Tomochika-san shrugged. She hadn't been offended. "Well, the important thing is that it's supposed to be over. Apathy Syndrome has been gone for years now. I hope Mr. Edogawa was just being sensationalist. None of us want a repeat of that..."

Three years ago. Everything kept going back to it. That's when Mitsuru-san and her team had scaled Tartarus and defeated the Dark Hour. Apathy Syndrome had been at its height then... He couldn't imagine a city as big as Tatsumi Port Island filled with lifeless people...

* * *

Souji called Yosuke that evening.

"Dude, you never call me..." Yosuke said. "What's up, partner?"

Souji wasted no time. "Yosuke, do you remember how after the P-1 Grand Prix we started looking up the Kirijo Group and found something about a Moonlight Bridge? Did you ever make any progress?"

"Oh, crap. Uhh, hang on." Yosuke seemed to be rummaging around his desk. Souji heard a few thumps and papers being reshuffled around. "Nah, partner, there wasn't much to find about that bridge. It's a pretty popular landmark, you know—but I can cut you a deal on a tour group. That's really all I could find on the Internet."

Souji grunted. He'd probably have better luck asking the locals about that, or maybe checking out the public library's records after a session with Amada-kun. "Can you start looking something else up for me? Look into anything strange that happened around Tatsumi Port Island in 2009. Three years ago."


	10. Chapter 10 - Strength

"Seta-san?"

Amada-kun's voice on the phone was subdued. Souji wondered if the boy had found out that Takeba-san was indeed the Featherman ranger who was ill. As much as Souji valued the truth, he hadn't the heart to tell the boy himself. "Amada-kun? What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry to bother you..." Amada-kun said. His voice was quiet and he seemed reluctant to speak. "But... I..."

"Would you like to meet somewhere?" Souji suggested. "Coffee again?"

"Well, it's a Thursday... We aren't supposed to meet until Monday." There was a silence, and Souji waited for him to fill it. "But... if it's all right with you. I'd like to talk. It has nothing to do with my schoolwork. I just... I want to talk."

"Great. The Chagall Cafe?"

"Yeah... All right."

* * *

The boy wasn't looking well. His face was pale, his eyes harried, and his lips bloodless and tight with worry. He ordered his black coffee in a brisk, businesslike manner, and then took to staring at his hands clasped tightly on the table in front of him.

"Amada-kun?" Souji prompted after the silence had gone on too long.

The boy looked up at him. "I didn't know who to turn to, Seta-san. But I... it's about Maiko-chan."

Souji bit his cheek. He'd had a feeling that 'girl problems' would be a topic with Amada-kun eventually...

"She's missing," the boy blurted out.

Souji waited a moment before responding. "Missing how?"

"W-well, she hasn't been to school in a few days. She told me she'd run away from home before... I think she knows better than that, now, but there's still the chance, and... Her parents are divorced, but she was staying with her dad this week and... I'm worried about her!"

"Maybe she's sick?" Souji suggested.

Amada-kun shook his head. "I overheard the teachers, and her father didn't call the school to report an absence. I want to visit her house to make sure she's okay, but I thought I should go with an adult. I was going to ask the dorm master to come with, but I think... he'd tell the other boys and then... I know it's a lot to ask, Seta-san, but..."

Souji stopped him there. "Of course I'll go with you, Amada-kun."

"You will?" The boy was distinctly relieved.

* * *

"You've been to her house before?" Souji asked after they'd finished their respective coffees.

"For her birthday party, yeah. It was held at her dad's place because it's closer to the school."

"Lead on, then."

Maiko's father lived in a small neighborhood on the outskirts of the city, east of the main island, in a two-story apartment complex. A couple of futons were being aired out on the second-floor balcony, and several leafy potted plants lined the path to the stairs.

Amada-kun knocked on the door to one of the apartments and a haunted-looking man answered the door. "Yes?" the man said. He kept the door mostly-closed and did not invite them into the foyer.

"Oohashi-san, is Maiko-chan home?" Amada-kun blurted out. Souji pressed his hand into the boy's back to signal that he should back down; he'd sounded too confrontational.

The man's posture changed; his shoulders rolled back somewhat defensively. "She's sick. She can't be disturbed."

"Will she get better soon?" Souji asked.

Oohashi-san sighed. "It's the flu. I'm taking care of her, but it could take some time for her to recover."

"Then remember to call the school!" Amada-kun snapped at him. "Everyone's worried!"

The man's eyes widened. "The school… right. I'll remember tomorrow." He bowed at Amada-kun. "Thank you for your concern. I'm sure she will appreciate it."

"Y-yeah," Amada-kun said, mollified. Souji pulled on the boy's shirt and thanked Oohashi-san for his time.

* * *

"Didn't it seem like he was hiding something?" Amada-kun asked while they walked away.

Souji frowned. "Not really…" But considering how long Adachi'd had him fooled, Souji wasn't exactly the best judge of character. "Are you worried? It's all right to be worried."

"It's a bit early for the flu," Amada-kun mused. "Well, thank you for coming with me, Seta-san. I'm sorry that it ended up being a waste of time... You were right about her being sick..."

Souji told him about the time Nanako-chan got sick the year before. "It's hard when you feel like there's nothing you can do." Great, now he was going to worry about his little cousin getting sick this year, too...

* * *

Before school, Souji overheard students talking about Ms. Toriumi.

"Our new homeroom teacher had us all sign a card for her. He's going to send it to the hospital for us."

"Then she's really in the hospital...?"

"I guess so. I hope she gets better soon. We're all planning to get her a really big cake when she's back!"

"Ohhh. What kind of cake? I like the ones with frosting in the middle."

"It's going to be for her, not for you!"

Souji smiled faintly to himself and walked to class. Maybe he'd make a cake for Ms. Toriumi himself when she recovered. He rarely had occasion to bake sweets. He would relish the challenge to his cooking skills.

* * *

After spending the afternoon in kendo club, Souji walked down the practice building, wondering what he should make for dinner. He'd never got around to trying that wasabi burger at Wild-Duck Burger... Maybe it was time.

He paused before a trophy case while mulling it over—wasabi wasn't really his favorite, maybe he was in the mood for something more traditional—and lazily read some of the plaques. One of them caught his eye.

_Track Competition Runner-up 2009_

_Minato Arisato_

That's right... Tomochika-san had said he had been the school's star runner. Kenji Tomochika's best friend...

An idea occurred to him. He went to the Faculty Office and asked one of the teachers there if the school kept yearbooks from prior years. He was told the library probably had a collection of them. He went there—the library was just down the hall—and asked to borrow the 2009-2010 yearbook.

* * *

Back in the dorm's lounge, Souji thumbed through the old Gekkoukan High yearbook. The hefty volume was bound in blue faux-leather with fancy gold lettering on the front and spine. He'd have one of his own if he ended up staying here the whole year, as was his plan.

He skipped past the individual class rosters and went straight to the club pages. The more involved students were likely to be the most interesting, anyway.

Ah! A page for the Student Council. It included a color photograph of the council room with several of its members, and the caption underneath identified everyone. In the center of the picture was a familiar figure, just three years younger: Mitsuru Kirijo in her school uniform—a white blouse with a large crimson ribbon and a black skirt. Her crossed arms made her stance seem imperious. She definitely had a fire in her eyes, even back then. That's right, he remembered: she had been the Student Council President.

To her left was a nervous-looking young woman staring at the floor, eyes turned determinedly away from the camera: Chihiro Fushimi, treasurer. Souji realized he recognized her from his school trip last year: she would later succeed Mitsuru's position as Student Council President. To Mitsuru's right was a proud-looking young man mimicking the president's crossed-arms pose: Hidetoshi Odagiri of the Disciplinary Committee. To his right was a very relaxed student; he was slouched with his hands in his pockets, and his dark blue hair was carelessly draped over part of his face: Minato Arisato. His position was listed as simply, 'council member.'

And there were other students in the shot, but Souji's attention was caught by that last one. So this was the mysterious boy who'd died so suddenly. He seemed very... calm? It was hard to tell from a still photograph, but he hadn't bothered to look at the camera at all. Souji had the impression that he wasn't avoiding the camera like Fushimi, just... not bothering to look at it.

Souji eventually moved on from the page and found a couple of pictures of Kenji Tomochika. He could see the family resemblance to the Tomochika in his class. He had the same dark eyes and brown hair as her. There was a playful picture of him and a student in a track suit standing together by a classroom window. He was making bunny ears with his fingers over the other student's head.

He also found Yukari Takeba, the future Featherman Ranger Pink Argus, listed as the top student in the Archery Club. A bow user, huh? He wondered how it compared to Yukiko's fans. But he couldn't expect Yukiko to string a bow, let alone draw it—let alone _aim_ it. Yeah, she should stick with what she knew.

There were a couple of students with the name 'Junpei' in the school and Souji wasn't sure which one Amada-kun had spoken of. Neither of them had anything special relating to them in the yearbook, anyway. He must have been an ordinary student, then.

And then there was Akihiko Sanada, looking—well, looking fully-clothed, for one. The red vest made him look mature. There was a shot of him shirtless, too, after a boxing match that he'd won. Souji had seen him in action during Golden Week, didn't have to imagine what an asset he'd been to Mitsuru's Tartarus-exploring team. He wondered what he was doing now. Aigis had said he was supposed to be Koromaru's caretaker.

Lastly, Fuuka Yamagishi, a demure-looking girl who was the only member of the cooking club. Souji remembered her name from the P-1 Grand Prix. She'd saved them all at the end, there...

* * *

"Seta-san," Amada-kun said. They were sitting at the dining room table at the Iwatodai dormitory after having eaten a meal of stir-fried udon. "I was wondering..."

"Yes?" Souji prompted.

"Would you train with me? I feel like I should get back into practice."

"Train?" Souji frowned. "Like... fighting?"

"I practiced with Koromaru for fun the last time I visited. Something like that. You said you used a katana. Do you have any skill with other weapons? I used a spear when I last fought Shadows."

Souji rapped his fingers on the table. None of his friends in Inaba had used a spear. The closest to it was Chie's Persona, Tomoe, which had used a naginata. But a naginata is for slashing and a spear for thrusting... so it wasn't a valid comparison.

He could probably find a way to make it work, though, and training didn't necessarily mean with weapons. Keeping fit was half the battle.

"I'll do it," Souji told him, "but on one condition."

"What is that, Seta-san?"

"I'll do it if you call me 'big bro.'" Souji nodded.

The range of emotions that flitted across Amada-kun's face was glorious to behold. His lips began to move, but he made no sound. After a lengthy wait, he squeaked out a very bitter-sounding, "Fine."

Souji watched him expectantly. "Fine, what?" he prompted.

"Fine, b... bi—...big... b...bro..." Amada-kun glowered at him most darkly.

Souji couldn't hold it in any more. He squealed in delight and then laughed and laughed until he had to pound his fist against the table to calm himself down. Amada-kun was looking humiliated by the end of it. Souji wiped his eyes and told him that he wouldn't have to do it again; it had been a joke.

The fire in Amada-kun's eyes told Souji the boy would never forgive him, but Souji could only think, 'worth it.'

Souji admitted that he had a little cousin who called him that, and told him that he reminded him of her.

The boy did not seem amused.

"Ahem. In all seriousness, may I start calling you Ken-cha—err, Ken-kun?"

The boy's eyes dropped until they had roved down to Koromaru sitting next to him. The dog looked up at him and wagged his tail. "I suppose..."

"Okay. Ken-kun, I think the best time for us to train will be a time like now, right after your English lessons. We can store our practice weapons here at the dorm. I'll buy some for next time. Does that sound good?"

"All right..."

Ken still sounded sullen, so Souji stood up and told him to wait. He went to his room and brought down his katana to show the boy some of his own moves. The weapon felt so comfortable in his hand even though it'd been months since he'd last used it. It was probably a skill he'd never forget. He suspected Ken would remember his spear abilities with ease.

By the end of the night, Ken had cheered up, and Souji was looking forward to their next meeting, when he would have practice weapons so that they could both work together.


	11. Chapter 11 - Tomochika

Mr. Ono was getting excited about Masamune Date—despite one of the students protesting they'd already learned about the legendary warrior last year—when the school's principal entered the class and interrupted the lecture. "Excuse me," the principal said, "but I need to speak with Keiko Tomochika."

Mr. Ono blinked under his samurai helmet. "Yes, of course."

Tomochika-san frowned and exited the room, following the principal.

"Wonder what that's about?" Haruka asked, and no one else seemed to know, including the teacher.

Lunch came and went, and there was no sign of the bookworm of a student. During the break, Haruka and Natsumi gossiped about her. After listening for a minute, Souji told them to stop. It reminded him too much of those girls at Junes talking about Saki Konishi after she'd died, and it was an unpleasant form of nostalgia.

"Sorry, Souji-kun!" Haruka sang. "But we don't know much about Tomo, not really." She scratched her cheek. "Maybe they need her for yearbook or something. She's in a book club, that's all I know. Figure she would be back by now..."

"Why does everyone call her Tomo if her name is Keiko?" Souji asked.

"Well, who wants to be named after a whale?" Haruka laughed. "What, Souji-kun... Don't you watch movies?"

"Tomo's so smart," Natsumi commented, "she doesn't go to cram school."

"Souji-kun doesn't go to cram school either!" Haruka pointed at him. "Smart guy! But he doesn't need to go to university. He can become a top chef."

"I'm not _that_ good at cooking," Souji said modestly. No one would ever know that he'd made his own version of Mystery Food X last night in his attempt to make a unique chashu dish. Somehow the pork fat had gelatinized and... well, even Koromaru had snubbed it, and that was why his lunch today was a commercially-packaged bento box he'd picked up on the way to school this morning. He'd have to try again with a different cut of pork.

Soon their mathematics teacher entered the room, indicating that it was time for class to resume once again.

* * *

By the end of the school day, Tomochika-san hadn't returned. Concerned, Souji visited the Faculty Office. He found Mr. Takenozuka, the physics teacher, and asked him about the missing student.

Mr. Takenozuka frowned. "Oh, yes, I'd heard about that. Her family called her, and she had to leave. Some sort of emergency, it seemed."

"Is everything all right?" Souji asked.

"I hope so," said Mr. Takenozuka. "I don't know—I wasn't there when the call came in, nor did I see her today. I only know what I heard in the teacher's lounge."

"Tomochika-san left all of her belongings at her desk," Souji said. "Should I… leave it there? I could take it and bring it back for her tomorrow. But... there might be something important or valuable there."

Mr. Takenozuka thought about it. "I'll take care of it. She is my top student, after all. I'll try to contact her family. Your homeroom is 3-A, correct?"

Souji nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Takenozuka."

* * *

Tomochika-san did not come to school the next day, but she was there the day after. Before class, the other students badgered her since her absence had ruined her perfect attendance record, but Souji thought it was clear that she wasn't in any shape to bear their inquiry.

She was... She looked like she hadn't slept in days. Her hair, normally allowed to flow free around her shoulders, was pulled back in a ponytail, and though she had a book open in front of her, her eyes were glassy and she wasn't reading a word. She was only pretending to read, either in the hopes of being left alone by the students—or for the comfort the action brought.

She did not answer any of the students' questions on where she had been. In fact, she spoke not a word. And she wasn't frowning like she normally would at interruptions... She just stared blankly at the page she was on in the book, the same page she had been on for several minutes already.

During a break, Souji handed a note to her, inviting her to lunch. _We'll go somewhere private, and I won't ask you anything,_ he wrote.

In the next class, the teacher directed a question at her, and she didn't respond. When Haruka poked her shoulder, she jumped in her seat, startled, and in the end, Souji had to give her the answer, which she whispered barely loud enough for the teacher to hear.

Something was obviously wrong.

Souji spent much of the class period glancing back at her, hoping she'd recover from whatever was affecting her, but it didn't seem like it would. She hardly wrote any notes down during the lesson, which was unusual for her since she kept a meticulous notebook; he'd seen it when Haruka asked to borrow it once.

To Souji's surprise, when lunch came, Tomochika-san grabbed his wrist tightly as he stood up, like it was her only link to life. "Private," she said, her voice dry from lack of use. "Somewhere private, you said. Please."

The roof, Souji thought reflexively, since that was where he'd always gone for lunch at Yasogami. No, not the roof... That memorial for the deceased student wouldn't bring her any comfort.

She clung to his wrist while he sought a private enough place for lunch, heedless of the stares they received. They passed a persimmon tree in the school's courtyard and he stopped by a bush with leaves just beginning to turn a fall brown. There wasn't anyone else around. She finally relinquished his wrist and he had to prevent himself from reflexively rubbing it. Her grip had been surprisingly strong.

He set his jacket down on the grass and invited her to sit on it, and she did without complaint. Rather, without a word at all. He opened his boxed lunch—gyoza—handed her a pair of chopsticks, and sat back, waiting for her to make the first move.

She lowered the chopsticks and stared at the lunch box with an unreadable expression.

"You don't like gyoza?" Souji asked. "It's all right. I can get you something else."

He made to stand up and do just that, but she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Seta-san. I'm just not very hungry."

Souji picked up the box and held it towards her. "Please try some, anyway. I promise you it's edible. I test my cooking on myself." More than he could say about some of his friends...

"Seta-san," she said suddenly. "Can I trust you?" Souji opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted. "What a dumb question. Of course you're going to say yes."

"You don't have to tell me anything," he said. "I mean that."

"I don't want people to know. But I want _you_ to know." She grimaced. "My brother... He's in the hospital."

"...How serious is it?"

It took her some time to answer. "Don't tell anyone. He'll be released soon, but... it's..." She bit the tip of the chopstick, then removed it from her mouth. "I'm going to visit him right after class."

"May I come with?" Souji asked.

"What?" She scowled at him. "Why would you even..."

"If you don't invite me, I'll probably go myself," Souji said conversationally. He took a piece of the gyoza in his chopsticks, dipped it in soy sauce, and ate it.

"Why would you do that?" she said, sounding frustrated. "You don't even know which hospital he's at!"

"Oh... there's more than one here?"

She shook her head, exasperated, and relented.

* * *

Tomochika-san was untalkative during the entire trip to the hospital, only speaking when she needed to. Souji didn't ask her for details about what had happened to her brother. He knew there was no rushing it—she would tell him in her own time—and he had promised he wouldn't pry like the other students.

They checked in at the hospital's front desk, and she identified Souji as a friend of the family so that he'd be allowed to accompany her.

Her brother was on the third floor, room 317. Souji began to shiver in the elevator. He'd been fine in the lobby, but...

Tomochika-san noticed, and her curiosity apparently overcame her reticence. "You're more shaken than I am. Why?" she asked.

The pungent smell of disinfectant, the drifting sounds of people sniffling, coughing, and crying in the waiting room just down the hall, the overwhelming _whiteness_ of the walls...

"I don't like hospitals," he said flatly. Strange, really, considering he used to work part-time in one... but things happen and opinions change...

"I don't think anyone does," she said.

Souji didn't comment. He only rubbed his arms to warm himself up.

The nurse on duty led them to room 317, nodded at them, then dismissed himself.

Tomochika-san stood at the door before entering, and looked at Souji. "Well, Mr. Curious. You wanted to come here. P-pay attention. There'll be a test." She blinked away some tears and then entered the room. Souji followed after, apprehensive and worried. She'd held in her emotions so well up to this point... But maybe that's why she had been so quiet, to keep them in check.

On the hospital bed was a young man with short brown hair. He was easily recognizable as the Kenji Tomochika he'd seen in the school yearbook, but his face was blank and his eyes were unseeing, the youthful vitality in his features completely drained.

Tomochika-san took Kenji's limp hand and stroked his fingers. "Kenji. Kenji, it's me, Keiko, your sister."

"Ahhhhh..." was the only sound Kenji made, and it was an intermittent noise, not in response to any of her words.

"And—and this is Seta-san," she said. "The transfer student I told you about. Look at me, bringing him to see you, anyway..." She laughed bitterly.

"Ahhhh..."

"Say something, Seta-san," she requested.

Souji cleared his throat. "Your sister cares about you, Kenji. Please come back to us."

Well, of course it wasn't going to do anything. Tomochika—no, Keiko-san—sighed. "Thank you, Seta-san. … Let's go."

She headed towards the door, but Souji took one last look at Kenji. There was something about him, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it...

_Magician,_ he thought, and wondered where that impression came from.

Souji frowned and waited, hoping more would come to him, but that was it. He shook his head and followed Keiko-san out. Keiko-san—could he call her that, now? He... should ask. But not now.

Outside the door, she told him that the doctors didn't know what was wrong. "They say we can take him home soon, but he'll still be like this. They're keeping him for observation, but they're almost sure it's Apathy Syndrome. But how did he get it? He wasn't depressed. He was doing well in college, better than he did at Gekkoukan. He was even rooming with Kaz, his friend from there. It doesn't make any sense."

"Apathy Syndrome..." he repeated.

"Yes... And his condition is definitely the same kind of Apathy Syndrome from back then, too. It's... it's frustrating. The doctors don't know anything. But... he might get better. It got better back then, too." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

Souji pursed his lips. He wanted to say something encouraging, but he wasn't sure she'd appreciate it.

"Speaking of Kaz," she murmured to herself. "Excuse me, nurse!"

The male nurse on duty who had been standing just down the hall, scribbling something on a clipboard, joined them. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Has Kazushi Miyamoto been to visit my brother?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. He was here last evening."

"Thank you. That's all," she said, dismissing the nurse. Turning to Souji, she explained that Kazushi Miyamoto was Kenji's roommate in the college they were both attending. "He was the one who found Kenji like this. I'm glad he's come to visit..."

"I hope he gets better," Souji said quietly.

Keiko-san looked at his face. "Well, thank you for coming with. It's better than going on my own. I'd probably get into a fight with one of the nurses, demanding answers that I know they don't have... It'd just give me a headache." She put a hand to her forehead as if she was getting one right now anyway.

"You're welcome," Souji said. "No one should have to visit a hospital alone." A thought came to him. "Mr. Edogawa said that Ms. Toriumi has Apathy Syndrome, too."

Keiko-san chewed a fingernail. "That's right. Kenji was one of her students before. Do you think there's a connection? Maybe she caught it from him? Or the other way around. But... it's not really contagious. It's not biological at all. Otherwise they wouldn't allow visitors."

"Besides, that was years ago. Kenji probably hasn't had contact with her recently," Souji added.

Keiko-san grimaced. "Well, it's not _completely_ impossible."

Souji looked at her questioningly.

"It's just very unlikely," she continued. "Kenji... he has a thing for older women, and he's crushed on a teacher before. He might have had an interest in Ms. Toriumi. Maybe even tried to meet with her even after he graduated? I kind of doubt it, though... She's not really his type."

"We should confirm that she even has Apathy Syndrome," Souji said. "It'll be easy if she's in the same hospital."

"Assuming her family hasn't taken her home," Keiko-san said. "It's worth a try."

They inquired at the reception desk, and indeed, Ms. Toriumi was a patient. In fact, her room wasn't far from Kenji's, probably due to the similarity in their condition. They obtained permission to visit her as concerned students.

In Souji's experience, Ms. Toriumi was one of the better teachers at Gekkoukan—mainly because she wasn't quite as eccentric as the others. Keiko-san had a high opinion of her, too. "I wish she'd get better. Mr. Edogawa is interesting, but he's not teaching Composition. And trust me, our fellow students couldn't write a simple sentence without making a mistake."

Ms. Toriumi was set up in a bed in a room almost identical to Kenji's, and her expression was just as blank and lifeless as his had been. It was quite disturbing to see their Composition teacher so helpless like this. She was a well-liked teacher, too: a basket of flowers and stack of cards from her homeroom class were on the table beside her.

They asked her assigned nurse several questions. "When did she get it? How long has she been here? Has her family visited?"

"I can't divulge everything," the nurse said. "She's been exactly the same since she arrived last week. Apparently she had been in her apartment when she... came down with it. A friend of hers had called the landlord when she didn't answer her phone, and they found her essentially like this in front of her computer."

"How strange," Keiko-san commented.

"Do you happen to know someone named Tatsuya?" the nurse asked. "She says that name sometimes..."

Keiko-san shook her head, and Souji followed suit. "No. I don't think we have any students by that name, either, but there could be one among the underclassmen," she said.

"We're waiting on her family to take her home," the nurse said. "They live out of town."

"Thank you for letting us see her," Souji said.

"Maybe if she knew how many students worried for her, she'd wake up," the nurse said with a sigh. "I don't know anything about Apathy Syndrome. I got my nurse license after it was already gone. And now it's back... I suppose I'll learn."

"Shouldn't have to," Keiko-san said. "I thought it was over... Why would it come back like this?" Her hand was clenched into a fist, her knuckles bone-white.

"There's an elderly couple from Iwatodai on the second floor who have it, too," the nurse added. "They've had it for a few weeks now."

Souji paused. "An elderly couple... Are they the ones own that bookstore? Bookworms?"

"What, Bunkichi and Mitsuko?" said Keiko-san. "I wondered what happened to them. I used to go to Bookworms all the time. It's been hard on the book club with the store closed. Book On mostly only has manga."

The nurse blinked. "Yes, that's them. We're still trying to get into contact with their next of kin. You don't happen to know anyone in their family, do you?"

"W-what?" Keiko-san said. "They really do have Apathy Syndrome? That makes no sense!" She shook her head vigorously. "No, no. Apathy Syndrome doesn't discriminate. That makes four people with it. I wonder... it started out slow, last time, too..."

The nurse held her tongue between her teeth. "We've been asked not to release the condition's return to the public because it might cause mass hysteria..."

"We understand," said Souji. "Come on, Keiko-san," She blinked at being called by her first name. "We should leave." We've been in a hospital too long, he wanted to say. The discomfiture was coming on strong.

He cast one last glance at his teacher while pulling Keiko-san behind him. The word _Hermit_ ran through his mind before he stepped out the door.

While the elevator took them back down to the ground floor, Souji thought of asking Keiko-san to exchange phone numbers with him. In Inaba, Souji'd had the investigation as an excuse for getting both Yukiko and Chie's numbers, not that he ever really called them outside the case, nor had he any lewd intentions in the asking. But he thought Keiko-san might need someone to talk to after this, so he stopped at the reception desk and asked for a pen and paper, and wrote his cell phone number down on it. He handed the pen back to the receptionist, then turned to Keiko-san and handed her the paper. "This is my number."

She stared at it. "Why would I..."

"It's rough," he said, "having someone important in the hospital. If you need someone to talk to, you can call me any time."

By her expression, it seemed like she might crumple the paper, but she nodded curtly and put the paper away in her address book.

Keiko-san allowed him to walk her to the train station, and then he returned to the dorm.


	12. Chapter 12 - Culture Day

Over the next few days, Keiko Tomochika-san recovered, and by the latter half of the week, she was almost her old self again. The students hadn't much time to notice anything different about her, though—Culture Day was this weekend, and everyone was excitedly talking about their plans. Several students—including Taishi and Natsumi—were planning trips to colleges all over the prefecture, and some even beyond that, to see what the college's atmosphere was like. Others, like Haruka, were simply going to enjoy the holiday and go shopping with friends.

When asked what he planned, Souji said he was going home.

"Home?" Haruka asked. "Oh! I bet you'll be glad to see your parents again."

"...Yeah," he said. Parents... right. No, he was going straight to Inaba once the dismissal bell rang. He'd even brought a duffel bag to school that contained everything he wanted to bring, since he'd already given Ken Amada the keys to his dorm. The boy was more than willing to watch Koromaru for him.

Souji was very grateful that Gekkoukan's Culture Festival had taken place back in September, before he'd really integrated himself with the student body, and not on the holiday itself. Otherwise he'd be obligated to stay in Tatsumi Port Island for the weekend and help with the Kendo Club's demonstration. His little vacation was, however, going to be interrupted by Yasogami's Culture Festival. Yasogami was a rather traditional school, and Yosuke had already told him that the school was having its festival tomorrow, exactly on Culture Day. Souji didn't mind too much, though—he'd be able to visit all his school friends at once, and in a familiar setting, at that. It would make for a memorable trip, and he could bring Nanako-chan, too!

He probably had a grin plastered on his face when the dismissal bell rang. He bid his fellow students goodbye, including Keiko-san, and headed right to the train station.

The elation faded with every train stop on the way to Inaba. He was returning. Every time he returned, something bad happened. The murders last year, the P-1 Grand Prix, more murders over summer... Worry began to knot his stomach. It was just a short weekend—nothing could happen, right? No one would die just because he was visiting... He assured himself it would be okay, but he wasn't very convinced. He hoped the weather stayed sunny like it was supposed to. The last thing he needed was the Midnight Channel to return again...

* * *

He somehow managed to force a smile onto his face as he stepped off the train at Yasoinaba Station later that evening.

"BIG BRO!"

And then it grew into a genuine grin of pleasure at the sight of his little cousin.

He set his duffel bag down and took Nanako-chan in his arms, picking her up and twirling her around. "Oh, how I missed you," he whispered into her ear before putting her back down.

"Mmm!" the little girl said, smiling. "I missed you too, big bro!"

His uncle stepped forward, still dressed for work in a gray shirt, black pants, and red tie. "Go on, Nanako. Show him what you were so excited about yesterday."

Nanako-chan's big brown eyes lit up. "Big bro! Big bro!" She opened her mouth and pointed. "I los' a toof!" she said with her mouth still open.

Souji laughed and patted her head. "You're growing up!"

Dojima led them to his police car. He opened the trunk and Souji put his bag in the back. "Hop in," he said after slamming the trunk closed, "and we'll head home."

Souji paused with his hand on the handle to the passenger side door. "Please tell me you don't need gas."

"Filled her up before we came," Dojima told him. Souji relaxed and took his seat. Nanako-chan sat in the back behind her father.

"I was planning to pick up some takeout at Aiya for dinner, if that's fine with you," Dojima said conversationally on the drive home. "Can't really make you cook and all." He laughed, and then grew serious. "Well, you can invite your friends over tonight if you want, but..." Dojima looked in the rear-view mirror at Nanako-chan significantly.

Souji understood. "I'd rather it be a family night," he said. Dojima took a hand off the steering wheel and put it on Souji's arm in silent thanks for just a few seconds.

When Souji entered the Dojima residence, nostalgia flooded through him. His uncle hadn't changed the house at all since he'd left—not that he'd really expected him to—but it felt almost like a time capsule. There was a box of stale cheese-flavored crackers on the table, sitting alongside his uncle's blue coffee thermos. The same brown couch was in the living room, the same pink and purple sitting cushions, the same TV. The only obvious difference he noticed was that Nanako's drawings posted on the refrigerator had changed to more recent works. Oh... the surviving half of that macaroni collage was still there, to his private shame.

Oh, and the kotatsu was out already. Dojima saw him notice it. "I know it's not cold yet, but... don't want Nanako getting sick," he said in a low voice. Souji nodded.

The smell of coffee made him think of the mug his uncle had given him last year, and sure enough, there it was on the counter. As if reading his mind, Dojima picked it up and handed it to him. "Guess you can use this again! Want me to make a cup?"

"Sure, uncle."

Dojima smiled, obviously happy. "You know, Souji," he said, turning his back to him while setting up the coffee maker. "My sister doesn't know what a gem she has."

Souji held his tongue.

"I admit, I miss having you around. You're a good kid," he continued. "Almost an adult. God, makes me feel old."

"Big bro, big bro!"

Souji turned to find Nanako-chan holding almost a dozen stuffed animals in her arms. He hadn't seen her go into her room at all, but she must have brought them from there.

"Look at all my new toys!" she said. "I got a donkey and a frog and an elephant and..." She named off several other animals.

Souji blinked when he realized the animals were hand-knitted. "Are these... from Tatsumi Textiles?"

She nodded.

Dojima scratched his head sheepishly. "She might be their best customer. Spends all her allowance there."

"Well, I have something for you," Souji told her. Her eyes gleamed with excitement as he rummaged around in his duffel bag. He held out a new plush to her, a teal cartoonish bird with overlarge eyes. It was wearing orange overalls.

"Wild-Duck Burger...? This is really funny, big bro! Thank you!" She hugged it to her chest.

By now Dojima had set out their takeout meal on the table. "Coffee's ready, and so's the food. Go wash your hands, Nanako."

"Okay, Dad!"

The meal itself didn't trigger much nostalgia aside from it being from Aiya; his uncle was always working late and rarely ate with him and Nanako-chan. He hoped that had changed now that the murder investigation was over. It might have—Nanako-chan seemed really happy, but it could just be because he was there. He'd have to ask Yosuke later, since he was supposed to be keeping an eye on her for him.

After dinner, he spent the rest of the evening listening to Nanako-chan chatter about school and her friends and her teachers. It was really wonderful to be back...

When Nanako-chan mentioned that her class had a pet rabbit, Souji was reminded to show her some pictures on his cell phone. "Look, I have a dog. His name is Koromaru."

Nanako-chan looked on with delight. "Oh! His fur looks really soft!"

"It is. He loves to be pet right behind his ears. Like this." Souji tickled the girl behind her ears until she cried out for him to stop, giggling the whole while.

"A dog?" Dojima said. "Huh, my sister was never one for pets. Well, you can't do better than a dog."

Souji blinked at him. Dojima didn't know that he wasn't staying with his parents. Souji had figured his mom would've spoken with him at some point... But then he remembered that even last year when he was staying with uncle Dojima, his parents had never checked up on him. The thought made him sigh with aggravation.

He really needed to get over it. He had family: uncle Dojima and little cousin Nanako. He wrapped his arms around Nanako-chan and showed her other pictures of Koromaru while Dojima reminisced about a time when he was a kid and had tried to bring a dog home as a pet.

* * *

Nanako-chan made breakfast for him the next morning: toast and eggs. Not long after he'd eaten, there was a knock on the door. It was, of course, the first of his friends wanting to see him.

"Yeah! You're really here! It's great to see you, partner," Yosuke said. The floppy-haired boy punched Souji lightly on the arm. "You ready? Everyone's at the Culture Festival. I was sent to pick you up."

"Sent, or did you volunteer?" Souji asked with amusement.

Yosuke tugged on his arm. "Come on, partner!"

While they walked, Yosuke animatedly told him about various things that had happened since summer. The old man tending the Tatsuhime Shrine had a heart attack, but had made a full recovery. Chie's dog had fathered puppies. The guy in glasses who had been in their class last year had become the Student Council President after the last one stepped down, despite claiming that he did not want the position.

Most importantly, the Midnight Channel had not been airing. "But rainy days still give me the jitters," Yosuke admitted. Souji nodded. He still hadn't touched the TV in his dorm...

They turned down the road into Inaba's shopping district, which consisted of only one street since the town was so small. As they passed by Konishi Liquors, Souji couldn't help but notice the store's windows and entrance were boarded up. Yosuke placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "Yeah... The Konishis closed up the store and moved away," Yosuke told him quietly. "Can't really blame them..."

A Shadow had killed Naoki Konishi over summer in an attempt to get Souji's attention. He'd defeated the Shadow in the end, but the victory was a hollow one.

"Ah, on a brighter note," Yosuke said, "how about Dojima's new partner in the force?"

Souji paused in mid-step. "He has a new partner...? He didn't say anything."

"Oh... Maybe he didn't want you worried about another Adachi. Or _maybe,_" – Yosuke was winking at him – "he didn't want you knowing it's a lady."

"Huh." There was really nothing more Souji had to say about that.

They neared the end of the street, and Souji's eyes were drawn to the wall between Daidara's and the bookstore. The door to the Velvet Room was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps his journey really was supposed to be over... It was strange to think he might never enter the Velvet Room again, but even now he carried the Velvet Key in his pocket. Its presence always reassured him, somehow.

At the end of the street, Souji stopped and looked his friend over. Yosuke squirmed at the sudden, unexpected attention. "What's wrong? Did I grow a second nose?"

"There's something different about you." Souji mulled it over, peering at Yosuke like he was a specimen in science class. "It's been bothering me since we left the house."

"Well, I'm still me, partner," Yosuke said. He scratched his arm. "It's only been two months. Maybe I'm a little taller? Or my hair's just a little different? I haven't cut it in a bit. It's driving my mom nuts, heh."

"Hair..." Souji muttered. "Ah! That's it!"

"What's it?—Hey!"

Souji had closed the distance between them to tug at the headphones draped around Yosuke's neck. "You got new headphones!"

Yosuke pushed him away to give himself some space. "Well, yeah! A new model comes out every year..." He fiddled with the cord. "I'll let you play with them later, okay? We're almost at the school."

Yasogami's gates were decorated with a large red and orange arch welcoming all visitors to the Culture Festival. Students and parents and others were gathered around a greeting table right by the arch. By the number of people already present, it was obviously going to be a busy day for the school.

Yosuke led him right inside, but they didn't get very far before a student stopped to say hello. "Souji-senpai! What are you doing here?" asked a girl he recognized from drama club last year.

"Just visiting, just visiting!" he repeated as other students soon stepped in line to greet him. Even some teachers joined in. Ms. Sofue told him about something she'd found with the dowsing rods he had made for her last year, and Mr. Kondo asked what sports club he'd joined at his new school.

"Man, partner, we're never gonna get to the third floor at this rate," Yosuke complained, but he was smiling at seeing Souji's embarrassment at all the attention he was receiving.

"You didn't tell me what your class is doing this year," Souji noted when they were finally free. "Not a group date cafe, I hope?"

Yosuke shook his head. "Nah, we went with something really tame this year. Just a break room with coffee and donuts."

"_Good,_" Souji said emphatically.

He didn't want to ask if there was a beauty pageant this year.

Classroom 3-1's project seemed to be a karaoke lounge; someone was singing rather poorly and people were laughing. Thankfully Souji wouldn't have to try his luck with that; Yosuke led him past it to 3-2. "Aaaaand here we are!"

"Souji-kun!" shouted two feminine voices at once. Chie dropped the pink-frosted donut she had been holding and rushed towards him, and Yukiko followed closely behind.

Souji hugged them both, since it seemed like they were expecting it.

While he caught up with the two girls, Yosuke poured him a cup of coffee from the thermos the students had set up at the front table and offered him a donut, which he declined because he was still full enough from Nanako-chan's hearty breakfast.

Soon Kanji and Teddie showed up, making it almost a full Investigation Team reunion. He discovered that Naoto was out of town for the weekend, and he suspected it wasn't to avoid him but to avoid the Culture Festival. Souji didn't blame her after last year. He also learned that the ever-popular Rise was still away on a big concert tour.

"It's been beary lonely without you, Sensei!" Teddie cried into the front of Souji's shirt. Souji patted the blond boy-shaped bear on the head until he finally calmed down.

"How's the other side been?" he asked cautiously.

"Nothing to report, Sensei! Teddie is always on the lookout!" The bear saluted him in mock military-style.

"Yeah," said Yosuke, "he's been living there, now. Seems like it's mostly peaceful. Your dungeon even disappeared. Oh, and we found out there are fish in the lake there! Maybe one day we can go fishing or—"

"Come on, Souji-kun!" Chie interrupted. "We've got to show you around the festival. Oh! Who gets dibs on being with him?"

To avoid argument, Souji immediately suggested they all go together, and the group agreed. The girls led the way, and they passed many different stalls. The drama club's play this year was Othello vs. Macbeth—apparently they hadn't learned from last year.

The basketball team was hosting a mini contest: anyone who could successfully make a shot from a certain distance in one attempt won a prize. They all gave it a try. Chie's attempt hit the hoop's outer rim and bounced off. Yukiko missed completely and the ball almost bounded into a girl on the sidelines. Yosuke's was close; his ball hit the backboard and then seemed to balance on the hoop's edge, but the ball ended up rolling down outside of it. Teddie ended up getting too distracted by dribbling the ball to make an attempt, and Kanji had to chase after him to get the ball back. After it was retrieved, Souji, of course, made it look easy.

"Damn, partner!" Yosuke congratulated him on his perfect shot.

"Well, I used to be in the basketball club," Souji replied modestly. "I guess I still have some skill."

"Of course you do, Souji-kun," Chie assured him, and Yukiko readily agreed.

The prize was a packet of meat gum. Souji handed it off to the group's meat lover, Chie.

On the way to the next display, he saw Kanji draw back and gesture at him, so Souji slowed down to walk with him, worried that something was on the tattooed youth's mind.

"Senpai..." Kanji said. "Could you ask Nanako-chan what animal she wants next? I'm runnin' outta ideas."

Souji relaxed. "Sure."

Sometimes there really wasn't a problem to be fixed.

Their next destination was the second years' haunted house. Yosuke wanted to skip it and go straight to the classroom next door since it was doing a maid cafe, but Chie kicked his shin and he ended up going in the haunted house with her to avoid further pain. Souji went in with Yukiko and was surprised at how unfazed she was by the sporadic creepy noises and the darkness surrounding them.

Souji decided to skip the maid cafe, to Yosuke's disappointment. "Come on, partnerrrrrr," Yosuke complained. "You'll never get another chance to see Ayane-san in a maid dress!"

Souji mulled it over for a moment before shrugging and following Chie and Yukiko down the hall. He noticed that Teddie joined Yosuke at the cafe, and Souji couldn't imagine Yosuke having too much fun when he was obviously going to have to do damage control when the bear inevitably offended—or perhaps charmed—a girl there.

Souji and the two girls ran into Dojima and Nanako-chan at the first years' photography display. Dojima was pointing to a photograph of a close-up of a steel grate. "This one's down-to-earth. I like it."

"I like this one!" Nanako-chan exclaimed, facing a picture of a basket of kittens. Souji heartily agreed. "Oh, big bro, you're here!" She smiled at him and he patted her on the head.

They browsed the photography displays until Yosuke, Teddie, and Kanji finally rejoined them. Yosuke looked a little annoyed, but that was probably to be expected. Souji didn't ask how the maid cafe went.

The festival was starting to wind down for the day. Yukiko did not invite them to the hot springs like she had last year. Dojima kindly told them they all could come over to his house. "I'm sure you've all got a lot to tell Souji... You might as well make a night of it."

"Oh, we couldn't impose on you, Dojima-san," Chie protested.

"We've already got the kotatsu out," Dojima said amiably with his hands in his pockets. "Might be fun to watch a movie around it, right Nanako?"

"Yeah!" the girl said brightly. At that, no one could protest.

* * *

Dojima apologized to Souji for ordering takeout at Aiya again, but it was the easiest thing he could get to feed the handful of hungry teenagers currently at his house. Souji told him he didn't mind: Aiya was just that good.

Since everyone's tastes in movies were different, they'd had a hard time deciding on what to watch, so they'd turned to Souji to make the final decision. He chose a PG-rated action movie since Nanako-chan was going to watch it too.

Nanako-chan sat next to Souji at the kotatsu, but it wasn't long before she'd crawled into his lap. Souji welcomed her, although his legs soon began to fall asleep from her weight. She was eight years old already... A few more years and she wouldn't be able to do this. A few more years and she might not _want_ to.

He hoped no one would bring up his embarrassing—and disturbing—title from the P-1 Grand Prix at the sight of her in his lap, but no one commented. Everyone was enjoying the atmosphere of camaraderie. Sure, Naoto and Rise were missing from the equation, but somehow it made the remaining Investigation Team members that much closer. Throughout the night they snacked out on taiyaki cakes and Pocky that Yosuke had bought at Junes.

About half-way through the movie, Souji's phone buzzed in his pocket, but since he didn't want to bother any of his friends—or Nanako-chan in his lap—by checking it, he ignored it.

Less than a minute later, it started buzzing again, and Yosuke glanced at his pocket. "Not going to answer?"

Souji shrugged and adjusted Nanako-chan slightly so that he could take out his phone. She sighed against his chest; she'd been falling asleep from the day's excitement. He flipped the phone's screen up. "I don't recognize the number."

Yosuke nodded. "Probably spam. Or a wrong number. One time I kept getting called by this guy asking for a 'Jiro.' I kept telling him, 'Dude I don't even like sushi' … They can always leave a voice mail if it's important."

"Shut up, Yosuke!" Chie shouted at him with a hiss. "Some of us are trying to watch a movie here!"

When the phone buzzed again while it was still in his hand, Souji turned a puzzled look on it. "Same number..."

"Huh. Knowing you, it might actually be important."

Souji agreed. He extricated himself from Nanako-chan, who yawned hugely at him, and climbed the stairs, intending to go to his room. "Hello? It's Souji."

"Seta-san? It's... Tomo. Err, that is, Keiko." Her voice was almost too quiet to hear over the noise from the movie. "You said I could call, ehh."

"Keiko-san?" he said. "Is everything all right?"

"No."

"Umm, a moment please," he told her. Yosuke was giving him a funny look, and he realized he'd been talking too loudly into the phone because of the movie. He rushed the rest of the way up the stairs and closed the door to his room. "I'm sorry... Tell me now."

"Are you... busy?" She sounded hesitant, and quite unlike herself.

"No, it's fine. I was just watching a movie. What's happening? Is... Is Kenji all right?"

"Yes. Well, no, he's the same. His condition is stable, I suppose. We've brought him home, anyway... I wish we could have kept him in the hospital, to be honest. But..."

"Oh..."

"We're taking turns caring for him. But that's not why I called. Do you remember Kazushi Miyamoto? Kenji's friend? His roommate at the college."

"I do."

"He now has Apathy Syndrome, too. It's not supposed to be contagious, but... If you think about it, that old couple, Bunkichi and Mitsuko, both have it... One could have caught it from the other. Maybe... Kenji caught it from Ms. Toriumi, and then Kaz caught it from him. Maybe Ms. Toriumi caught it from the old couple. Since she's our Composition teacher, it's not too great a step to assume that she likes to read."

"It's possible," Souji conceded. "But we don't have any actual proof that there's a link between them." He paused. Somehow the word 'link' bothered him... "Besides, where did it come from in the first place?"

"Maybe one of the old couple was a carrier, and the strain mutated... or something. I'm sorry. I'm not much for biology," Keiko admitted. "I don't know how likely that scenario is. It's supposed to be just a mental condition, but I find that hard to believe right now…"

"If it's contagious," – Souji frowned into the phone – "doesn't that mean..."

"Yes," Keiko said. "We could be carrying it. We've been in contact with two different people who have it."

"That's... actually not what I was going to say, but that is troubling. I was thinking the government might want to quarantine the affected people."

"It might be too late, now. Who knows how many people we've spread it to ourselves?"

A tightness grew in Souji's stomach. If it was contagious... he'd just spread it to all of his friends and his most important family.

* * *

After calming himself down, he returned downstairs to find Yosuke standing nonchalantly at the bottom of the stairs, as if waiting for him. No, not 'as if' – he was definitely waiting. "So, uh, Keiko-san, huh? ... Who is she?"

"Yosuke." Souji wasn't in the mood for this. He gave his friend the flattest expression he could manage, and hoped Yosuke wouldn't be as oblivious to it as he normally was.

For once, it worked. "Dude... Did something happen?"

"I'm not sure yet. She's a classmate and her brother was in the hospital recently." Souji wiped his brow, and his hand came away slick with sweat—and he hadn't been near the kotatsu for quite some time.

Yosuke winced. "It's Yumi Ozawa-san all over again, huh? That sucks."

Souji nodded. "Yosuke, do you really care about the movie?"

Yosuke glanced guiltily at their friends still around the kotatsu. "Ah, ah – I wasn't really watching it..."

It almost made Souji smile in amusement. Yosuke'd probably stopped caring as soon as Souji had left to take that call, his curiosity about his partner's business taking priority.

"Let's go in the kitch—no," he amended as a series of explosions went off in the movie, drowning out his ability to think, "my room, and talk."

"Sure, partner."

His room was essentially the same as it had been when he'd left back in March, stripped bare after he'd packed all his belongings. The empty shelf that had once contained his model kits, and the empty desk with the chair that had one leg that was shorter than the others, were still present, along with the couch and short work table. The futon in the corner was the same one he'd used throughout the previous year. Apparently Dojima kept it as a spare, or for when Souji returned to visit.

Yosuke took the couch and Souji took the desk chair. "So, partner. What's up?" Yosuke asked. "You holding up okay? It's been pretty... well... rough, without you."

Souji's mouth turned down. "Yosuke. I'm sorry, I'd like to get down to business. Did you find anything about Tatsumi Port Island?"

"Oh, you want to talk about that...? Yeah, partner. There were a few weird things. Let's see, uhh," Yosuke's brow furrowed as he tried to remember. "My notes about it all are by the computer at home."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Nah, partner, it's cool. There was something strange with a train. The train had suddenly moved way down the line from where it was. Now, out here... No one would even notice because there's so much distance between stops, but in a big city, it's a pretty big deal, you know?"

"Yeah. Iwatodai to the Port Island is about 20 minutes by train."

"Yeahhh..." Yosuke gave him another funny look. "Oh, and there was a power outage at that mall back then, too. Remember how Rise had said that club we went to owed her? That was the incident."

"Mmm. Anything else?"

"A student at the high school died in October. That's 2009. He was found shot in a pretty bad neighborhood. No witnesses, apparently, and no one was ever arrested or anything. His name was… Shinjiro Aragaki?"

That was new. "Gekkoukan High school?"

Yosuke nodded. "Yep. The same one we visited. Place seems pretty messed up. There were two deaths that school year, that Aragaki guy and a boy who died on the school roof. And there was some talk on a message board about disappearances, but it was hard to figure out what was going on. It was a pretty primitive board, you know, the kind that you have to click on every individual reply to read it... A big mess."

"Not that different from Yasogami, really," Souji murmured.

"When you put it like that..."Yosuke said, biting his lip. "Hey, uh, I know you specifically said three years ago, but two years ago had some even stranger stuff going on around there. Hold on, I have it on my phone." Yosuke flipped open his phone, scrolled through his pictures, and handed it to Souji. "Have a look at that."

It was a picture of the Paulownia Mall, but there were a bunch of discarded fliers all over the floor. Someone had drawn graffiti in red paint over the walls and the tiled floor. The mall had always looked pristine to him, the floor tiles positively _gleaming,_ so it was strange to see.

"Apparently there was a cult that was really popular around then. They thought the end of the world was going to come on the 31st of January, 2010. Something about Nyx," – Yosuke spelled out the word for him – "Some of the websites about it are still around. I guess when it didn't happen, people lost interest. But doesn't it remind you of the fog last year?"

Souji agreed—the similarity was eerie. Inaba had been engulfed in fog for weeks, a persistent fog that didn't burn off in sunlight. The phenomenon had frightened everyone. People boarded themselves up in their houses, and students refused to go to school, and at some point even the trains had stopped running. He remembered the hair-raising spectacle of people in gas masks, fearing the fog was poisonous. Some had claimed that the fog signaled the end of the world, especially when the Midnight Channel had shown Inaba in ruins...

He suspected Apathy Syndrome had played a part in the Paulownia Mall's decay in that picture...

"Did that help you at all?" Yosuke asked. "I wonder if the Kirijo Group had anything to do about it."

"Maybe," Souji said. "By the way, Gekkoukan High School is run by the Kirijo Group."

"I wonder how Labrys is doing." Yosuke sighed. "I haven't heard from her in a while."

Souji almost slipped and told him that he'd ask Aigis. Instead, he stood up. "We should get back downstairs. The movie's probably over by now."

* * *

In fact, they made it back downstairs just in time for the credits.

"Geez, you two!" Chie complained. "You missed half the movie."

"It's over?" said Yukiko. "But I thought there should be more..."

"The plot was kind of hard to follow in the end," Chie admitted. "So maybe you missed nothing."

"Well, it's still early, partner," Yosuke said, looking at Souji. "What are we gonna do now? Another movie?"

"Do you have any board games, Dojima-san?" Chie asked.

"Hmm..." Dojima mused from the couch while scratching the stubble on his chin. "I'm sure I have a deck of cards somewhere."

"I know!" Yukiko shouted.

Everyone looked at her, surprised at the demure girl's sudden outburst.

"We could could play the King's Game!" Yukiko giggled, delighted with the idea, and gripped the kotatsu's blanket in excitement.

Everyone looked away. An uncomfortable silence ensued.

"So, uh," Chie began. "About that deck of cards..."


	13. Chapter 13 - Apathy

Souji had to return to Tatsumi Port Island the next day. Nanako-chan cried, and Yosuke complained that the weekend was too short, but overall the goodbyes were nowhere near as painful as they had been back in March. Souji promised them all he'd return in December during the winter holidays. To cheer Nanako-chan up, he told her to prepare for it by making all sorts of winter-based plans, like building a snowman and making snow angels and going sledding.

He'd taken the noon train so that he'd arrive at Iwatodai while it was still light out. He fished the dorm key from the flowerpot he'd instructed Ken to hide it under.

Koromaru was incredibly happy to see him. No wonder people love dogs, he thought, as the animal playfully ran in circles around him. He decided to play with Koromaru to take his mind off of the distance between him and his family. He threw the chew toy down the hall and the dog chased after it over and over again.

Tomorrow was Monday. At least, he thought, he'd be able to see Ken-chan again and train with him.

* * *

Monday afternoon, Souji hummed to himself while he chopped mushrooms and carrots in the dorm's kitchen in anticipation for his meeting with Ken. They should have something to eat between English and training. Something light and refreshing—too heavy and they wouldn't have energy for it—so he was going to make a sautéed chicken dish.

His cell phone rang – the number was Ken's. He put the phone to his ear and used his shoulder to hold it in place while he continued his chopping. "Ken-kun?"

"Seta-san," the boy began. "I know we're supposed to meet today, but..."

Souji halted in mid-chop, knife poised over a carrot. "You have to cancel?"

"I was hoping... Well, you see, Maiko-chan is still sick. That's over two weeks, now. I'm worried."

"The flu takes some time to recover from," Souji reminded him.

"Seta-san..." Ken's voice was no more than a whisper. "Her father once hit her."

Souji dropped the knife, and it fell against the carrot. "Let's visit her again right now, Ken-kun."

* * *

"No no, she's fine," Oohashi-san protested at the door. "She's... resting." He sounded supremely worried.

Shifting from foot to foot in his agitation, Ken asked with veiled politeness if they could see her.

"A-actually, she's at her mother's place this week..." Oohashi-san wiped his brow.

Souji raised an eyebrow. "You moved a sick girl?"

"She's not that sick!" the man snapped. "She'll be fine any day now!"

Amada-kun growled and dashed under the man's arm and into the house before he could be stopped. "Maiko-chan!"

Oohashi-san's face blanched—not with fury, but fear. "No, don't! Please, don't!"

"I don't know what you have to hide," Souji said, "but he's going to find out. He cares about your daughter." Souji prayed that his worst fears were unfounded.

The man looked defeated. He sighed and stepped away. "...You might as well come in."

With heavy steps, Oohashi-san led him down the hall to an open door. The man stood outside and gestured for Souji to enter the room.

Souji found Ken desperately talking to an unresponsive girl who was resting in a child-sized futon. "Maiko-chan, please...!"

"Ken-kun?" Souji whispered.

The boy turned a tear-streaked face towards him. "Seta-san... She... She has _Apathy Syndrome._"

"Ahhhh... Ahhhh..." the girl moaned.

"She's been that way for weeks," said her father from the doorway. "The doctors told us we have to wait it out, that they always get better eventually, but..."

"Apathy Syndrome shouldn't exist," said Ken, sniffling. "It really shouldn't..."

Souji kindly led the boy out of the room, and thanked Maiko-chan's father for letting them in.

* * *

"Seta-san," the boy said after he had recovered. He sounded stiff and formal. "I would like to speak with Mitsuru-san. Please, would you call her for me?"

"Mitsuru-san or Aigis-san?" Souji asked. He pulled out his phone from his pocket.

Ken hesitated. "Mmm, Aigis-san, perhaps."

Souji pressed a button and then handed the phone to the boy. He walked down the street a distance to give him some privacy. Hearing only half of the conversation would be frustrating, and he didn't want to intrude.

Souji leisurely inspected a bush and found a house cat sitting under it. It was brown with a white underbelly and wore a pink collar with a bell on it. Souji was rather disappointed that he didn't have any of the fish treats he used to carry around in Inaba. Yosuke used to complain that always he smelled like fish until he began to carry hand sanitizer to clean his hands after handling the treats.

He tried to lure the cat closer, but it only watched him wave his hand at it in vague cat-amusement. The cat was following his fingers, so he at least had its attention. "Here, kitty," he cooed. The cat flicked its tail, but made no move to come closer.

"Ahem," said a voice behind him. Ken was handing the phone out to him. "She wants to talk to you." Souji blinked and accepted the phone gingerly.

"Hello?"

"Seta." The voice was Mitsuru's, although he had called Aigis. "After class tomorrow, take Amada to the dormitory with you. We will speak with you there."

* * *

Souji and Ken rode the train to Iwatodai Station in relative silence. Souji was not often talkative in the first place, and Ken had seemed subdued ever since Souji had picked him up at the middle school's gates. He hoped Koromaru could cheer the boy up, but he also couldn't help but feel tense himself. It wasn't the same feeling as meeting his team right before entering the TV World for a rescue mission, but it was similar. That gnawing uncertainty of what was in store for him...

He unlocked the dorm's front door and entered to find the lounge already occupied by three women: the red-haired Mitsuru in a white blouse and black skirt was seated in one of the armchairs with one leg crossed over the other; yellow-haired Aigis in—nothing, she wasn't concealing her robotic nature with clothes at all; and a newcomer sitting on the couch with a laptop open in her lap. She had braided teal-blue hair and wore a simple white cotton dress.

All three stood up to greet him, the last one hastily putting her laptop on the lounge's small table. Mitsuru stepped forward and crossed her arms. "Seta, Amada. Good. You're here." She turned her head towards the teal-haired girl. "Seta, this is Fuuka Yamagishi. Yamagishi, this is Souji Seta, whom I've told you about."

She curtsied. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Seta-san."

He nodded and waited for Mitsuru to continue.

"Yamagishi is our support. Her Persona is similar to your idol friend's. I've brought her in because we're certain to need her abilities. Before we get into that, will you tell us about the child with Apathy Syndrome?" She turned her sharp red eyes on Ken.

Ken explained Maiko-chan's situation. "It's definitely Apathy Syndrome, Mitsuru-san. She has all the signs."

"That should be impossible," Mitsuru said, "but I don't doubt you. Seta, if you aren't aware, Apathy Syndrome is caused when Shadows feast on someone's mind during the Dark Hour. Since there is no more Dark Hour, it is presumed that there should be no more victims."

"Ken-kun's friend is not the only one with it," Souji contributed. "I know of a few others." He halted. "If I'd known it was related to Shadows, I'd have reported it to you sooner."

"The Shadows are one step ahead of us," Aigis murmured, eyes downcast. "Seta-san, who are these others?"

"Kenji Tomochika, Kazushi Miyamoto, and one of my teachers, Ms. Toriumi."

Aigis's unnatural blue eyes widened. "Those names... Mitsuru-san, two are former students at Gekkoukan."

"And the connection with the teacher is obvious as well," Mitsuru noted.

"There is also an elderly couple with it," Souji added. "They might still be at the hospital. I didn't see them myself, but..."

Mitsuru pursed her lips. "Tatsumi Memorial Hospital? We should have been informed by the staff. Well, regardless, it seems we must assume that Shadows are active in the region once again."

"I'm ready to scan," said Fuuka.

"Then let's proceed to the command room."

They climbed the stairs, Mitsuru in the lead, followed by Fuuka and Souji, with Koromaru, Aigis, and Ken trailing behind.

"Aigis-san," said Ken quietly, "does it feel strange to you to be here again?"

"It does," the robot admitted. "In fact, I was hesitant to allow the dorm to be reopened for Seta-san, but it seems Mitsuru-san was correct in the end."

"There is a superstition in Western culture," Mitsuru said, "that trouble comes in threes."

"It has been three years since we lived here," Ken admitted, "but that's silly. Any number could do..."

"W-Well," said Fuuka, "there was Shinji-kun, and then there was Aigis-san, and then there was... U-umm, but at least Aigis-san was repaired."

A long silence elapsed. Souji felt quite the stranger, having little knowledge of his comrades' reminiscing.

They stopped at the large double-doors on the fourth floor. "Oh, it's locked," Souji told them.

"We have the key," said Mitsuru. "Aigis."

Aigis nodded and took out a ring with several keys. She selected one and used it to unlock the command room door. She held open the door while the others entered.

"Wait, Aigis-san," Souji said as she made to put away the key. "That key... You have a Velvet Key?"

Aigis held up the key in question. "I do, but..."

Souji took out his own Velvet Key and showed it to her.

"I had assumed as much," said Aigis, "when we met during Golden Week. There was that resonance... You are more similar to him than I had thought... Unfortunately, the Velvet Room seems to be closed to me. Is the same true for you?"

"The only entrance I know of is in Inaba, or was. It wasn't there when I left... The last time I was in the Velvet Room was near the end of Golden Week, and it wasn't Igor who had called me. It was his assistant."

"Elizabeth-san?" Aigis asked.

"Margaret, but I know who you are talking about. They're sisters."

Aigis smiled kindly at him. "I'm glad you are with us. Come, we're keeping the others waiting."

The command room was expansive, with a conference table and several chairs, but what grabbed his attention was the huge set of display screens and the switchboard that looked like it came right out of Naoto's Secret Base dungeon.

Fuuka and Mitsuru were already seated before the controls and turning knobs and switches until the primary display turned on. It took a moment for Souji to recognize what he was looking at: the dorm's roof. With another flip of a switch, the screen changed. Now it spat out a series of numbers that held no meaning to Souji.

Fuuka left the panel and took a seat at the conference table, and Mitsuru soon joined her.

"Are you ready to perform the initial scan?" Mitsuru inquired.

Fuuka nodded. "I'm ready." She then took out a gun—no, an Evoker—and put it under her chin and pulled the trigger. Souji moved his own hand to his chin reflexively, wincing.

Fuuka's Persona shimmered into life, encompassing the girl in a sphere, which seemed to be the Persona's lower half. Above the sphere was the upper half of a human-like body wearing a magenta, strapless top with lacy white frills and matching long gloves. The Persona had a mane of hair the same teal as Fuuka's own. Peacock-like wings spread from the Persona's back; perhaps these were utilized in the scanning process somehow.

The Persona faced the heavens—or, rather, the room's ceiling—with its arms outstretched.

"Are you picking up on anything?" Mitsuru asked.

"No." Fuuka's voice was somewhat muffled by the Persona surrounding her. "Let me keep trying."

Mitsuru took the time to explain Fuuka's Persona to Souji. Juno could detect Shadows throughout a fairly large radius—but only if the Shadows were of a size that could be noticed. "From here she once detected a powerful Shadow at the Paulownia Mall. My own Persona has similar abilities, but not to the same degree."

"I can't find anything... I'm sorry." Fuuka's Persona faded out of existence.

"We'll have you scan again later. In fact," Mitsuru turned to face Souji. "Seta—Yamagishi will be staying at the dorm with you for the time being."

He supposed he should have been more surprised, but... "All right," he said. "But there isn't a room ready for anyone else to stay in."

Mitsuru waved a hand. "There's still time today. If you'll excuse me, I'll make it happen." She took out her cell phone and stepped outside of the conference room to make a call.

"I wonder if I can have my old room," Fuuka mused.

"I'm staying in a room on the third floor," Souji told her.

"Oh... That's the girls' floor," Fuuka noted.

Souji blinked a few times. "I wondered why it smelled so nice."

Ken snickered.

"It's room 3-1," Souji added.

Fuuka moved her hand to her chest. "Umm, that's my old room..."

"That would be my fault. I was the one who assigned it to him," Aigis admitted. "I believed he would appreciate a cleaner room."

Fuuka was thinking. "I don't mind being on the same floor as you, Seta-san. Maybe I can take Mitsuru-san's old room."

"That shouldn't be a problem," said Aigis. "If that is amenable to Seta-san?"

Souji was dubious. It didn't seem quite proper that only a hallway separate them.

"If only I could stay," Ken commented wistfully. "Then I could play with Koro-chan every day."

Aigis looked at him closely. "Do you truly wish to?"

Ken seemed surprised. "Umm, I'm actually kind of happy where I'm at. I'd miss the other boys."

"You can come visit us any time," Souji told him with a faint smile.

The doors opened and Mitsuru returned. "Then that's settled, at least. Moving forward, Aigis and I will look into these Apathy Syndrome incidences and contact Sanada, Takeba, and Iori to see if they've noticed anything."

"Takeba-san might not be in any condition. She's sick," said Souji.

The group turned to him in surprise. "You know Takeba?" Mitsuru asked.

"No, but..." Souji explained how he'd asked Rise about the Featherman ranger's condition after Ken had brought it to his attention.

"I see," said Mitsuru. "Perhaps we should look into that first."

"Takeba-san..." Ken's eyes were on the floor.

Souji put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner. But maybe she's recovered by now."

Ken nodded.

"With that, Aigis and I will take our leave," Mitsuru said. "Amada, we can take you back to your dorm. Yamagishi, representatives from Kirijo will be here soon to furnish your room. I suggest you and Seta go to the ground floor to greet them."

Fuuka and Souji saw them off and then moved to the lounge. It was strange to know that he would not be alone in the building anymore. Well, Koromaru was always there...

"Seta-kun," Fuuka said after placing her laptop back on her lap. "Mitsuru-san told me about you... That you were there during Golden Week."

"You saved us there at the end. Thank you." He nodded at her.

"O-of course," she said.

Souji asked her a little about her Persona's abilities, and indeed, Juno's skills mirrored Rise's Himiko. Souji wished he could create a Persona with scanning abilities, but although his power of the Wild Card could fill several different roles, this was not one of them. He suspected that Fuuka would be an important ally to him. He hoped they'd become good friends.


	14. Chapter 14 - Full Moon

Souji awoke the next morning to the sharp smell of something being fried. After changing into a fresh set of clothes, he headed downstairs and found Fuuka in the dorm's kitchen, wearing an apron. Koromaru, who Souji did not allow in the kitchen, had his eyes glued on the spatula she was carrying; the dog didn't so much as glance in Souji's direction when he opened the door. "Seta-kun!" Fuuka greeted him with a smile. "Good morning... Do you like eggs?"

"Sure," he said, but perhaps he sounded a little unsure. He tried to gauge Fuuka's cooking talent by her progress so far. She appeared to be cooking eggs, Western-style. Everything smelled and looked good, but he knew from experience that the senses could be misleading.

"I haven't cooked for anyone other than myself in a while," she admitted.

"Would you like any help?" Souji offered.

She shook her head. "I think I have this."

"You might want to flip it, now..." he suggested mildly.

"Oh-oh!" She flipped the eggs and they sizzled in the pan. She looked at him sheepishly afterward. "Thank you..."

They ate breakfast in a sort of awkward silence, unused to each other's presence. The omelet she'd made for him was edible, but it seemed to have a little too much pepper on it. He didn't let it deter him and ended up clearing the plate without sneaking anything to Koromaru. She seemed pleased that he'd done so.

"Seta-kun, is there anything in particular you'd like to have for dinner?" she asked with a shy smile.

"You don't have to cook for me," he replied. "I know how to cook myself. I could make something for you, if you'd like." He wondered what her favorite meal might be. Sukiyaki, maybe. Or sushi. Yes, sushi was always a good standby.

"Oh, I couldn't ask that of you..." Fuuka seemed a little embarrassed.

"It's no trouble. Or, we can cook together," he offered.

"M-maybe," she said, blushing a little. "There was a time when I tried to learn how to cook… because I wanted a way to repay my friends and it seemed like a hobby no one would question... But I grew out of that idea to focus on my skills with electronics."

She seemed very tech-savvy—he noticed that she kept her laptop nearby. It was currently on the kitchen counter displaying a screensaver composed of dancing lines. He sensed that Fuuka and Naoto would get along well, and began to think of ways to get them to meet. The mystery of Apathy Syndrome might appeal to the detective… He thought about it the entire way to school, but then remembered that the last he'd heard, she was several hundred miles away, working on a case.

* * *

Souji originally planned to eat lunch alone—after enjoying Fuuka's breakfast, he hadn't had time to cook anything of his own, so he only had a bento box from a vending machine, nothing worth inviting anyone to share—but after seeing Keiko-san chewing down her fingernails all morning in class, he changed his plans. He turned to her. "Keiko-san, would you—"

"WHOA!" Haruka shouted. He flinched at the decibel level she employed. "When did you get on a first-name basis with Tomo!?"

"Sorry. _Tomochika-san,_" he amended. "Would you mind having lunch with me?"

"Nyehh," said the girl in question, which wasn't exactly a yes or a no.

Haruka looked from Souji to Keiko and back again.

"Call me whatever you want," Keiko-san grumbled. "I don't really care."

"You don't want to give me a blank slate," Souji warned her, thinking of his desire to use 'Ken-chan' all the time around the boy. He just couldn't help it. "Is 'Keiko-san' all right?"

"They only call me 'Tomo' because last year there was another Keiko in the same homeroom. It's just become a habit."

"Wow, Tomo!" Haruka declared. "I didn't know that! Can I call you Kei-chan, now?"

Keiko-san sighed.

In the end, Souji just decided to eat at his desk, since that was what both Haruka and Keiko-san were doing, and passed the lunch period with them. Haruka was always a bit silly, but by the end of the period, he thought he could see Keiko-san's underlying worry over Kenji relax at least a little.

* * *

When Souji returned from school, Fuuka had news for him. She was seated in the lounge, the laptop computer in her lap. "Umm, Seta-kun. I've come up with a list of the current Apathy Syndrome victims. I thought you might like to see it." She handed him a piece of paper.

_Kenji Tomochika_  
_Kazushi Miyamoto_  
_Yukari Takeba_  
_Nozomi Suemitsu_  
_Isako Toriumi_  
_Shachou Tanaka_  
_Maiko Oohashi_  
_Bunkichi Kitamura_  
_Mitsuko Kitamura_  
_Chihiro Fushimi_  
_Mamoru Hayase_

"How did you come up with it?" he asked her.

"Connections," she said with a sly smile.

Souji didn't press further. "Takeba-san is on the list?" And... was that TV Tanaka, too?

"Yes," Fuuka murmured. "I was surprised, too. We were close friends when we lived here... She asked me to look into the Kirijo Group, and then Mitsuru-san caught me..." Her eyes closed, and the smile on her face was reminiscent.

"Mitsuru-san caught you?" Souji frowned and thought of Yosuke. He wondered if Kirijo was now keeping tabs on his friend. He assumed so—but that was probably unrelated to his Internet searches. Yosuke had been intrinsic during Golden Week due to his trust in Labrys.

"And then Mitsuru-san asked me to continue. It was strange, but I was happy that my skills were important to her..."

"Strange" and "It's complicated" were becoming common phrases when people referred to the events of three years ago—though Souji knew he shouldn't complain: the TV World and the dungeons it had crafted could be described the same way.

Souji returned to the task at hand. "What do all these people have in common?" he mused.

"You think there's a connection? In the past," Fuuka said, "Apathy Syndrome was random... There wasn't any pattern to it except the moon's cycle."

Souji asked how it related to the moon, and Fuuka explained that when she was in SEES, large and troublesome Shadows appeared on the evening of the full moon. "The closer it was to a full moon, the more Apathy Syndrome victims there were. And once we defeated the Shadow, many victims returned to normal."

"The next full moon is at the end of the month," he noted.

Fuuka nodded. "I'll be scanning every night, but... If we're going to find a Shadow, we'll likely find it then. Mitsuru-san plans to be with us that night." She turned her attention to her laptop. "I could seek a connection. Some of these names are very familiar to me—it's very strange."

"I think that would be very helpful," he told her. "Some were students who used to go to Gekkoukan. I'll ask around at the school."

She nodded at him, her hands already typing rapidly. "That sounds like a plan."

A silence elapsed before he decided to ask a question that had been on his mind for some time. "Yamagishi-san... You used to live here... Why is that room on the second floor locked?"

"Oh!" she said. She clutched her long braided hair nervously, her other hand steadying her laptop. "That was... I suppose Aigis-san keeps it locked. Umm... I'm sorry, Seta-kun... I'd rather not talk about it." She smiled at him, but, as with Aigis, the smile did not reach her eyes.

* * *

Souji retired to his room, reading over the list Fuuka had given him and committing the names to memory. Then he folded it carefully and put it in his pocket for safekeeping.

He was hard at work on an essay on Edo Neo-Confucianism and how its ideals contrasted with Zen Buddhism when his cell phone rang. It was about time he heard from Yosuke.

"Hey partner..." his friend mumbled in greeting.

"Mm? I was thinking of you earlier, actually," Souji told him, smiling even though he knew his friend couldn't see it.

"Yeah...?" Yosuke's voice was low and world-weary. It lacked his normal enthusiasm.

"Is everything all right?" Souji asked, smile turning into a small frown. He moved from the desk to his bed and reclined against the pillow, knowing the call could be a long one if his friend was feeling down, so he might as well make himself comfortable. Well, not too comfortable; he didn't want to accidentally fall asleep with the phone still at his ear. The last time he'd done that, Yosuke had hung up and called him back just to startle him awake.

There was a heavy sigh from the other end of the line. "Yeah, partner. It's just... I've been thinking about what happened at this time last year. You know."

"I know," Souji replied with a sigh of his own. He didn't really want to remember. The empty, empty house he'd lived in... "How is everyone else doing?" He tried to keep the nagging worry out of his voice. No one has gone into a coma, right? He pulled the list of people with Apathy Syndrome out from his pocket, unfolded it, and stared at it. It couldn't be contagious. There had to be a connection between everyone. He just couldn't see it...!

"Fine as we'll ever be without you, I guess," Yosuke said. Souji blinked. Was there bitterness in his friend's tone? "Well, Yukiko got sick."

"Wh-what?" Souji shouted. He clenched his fist reflexively in alarm, crumpling the list.

"Dude, it's just a cold, man. November chills. It's even colder out where she lives, you know, at the inn. She'll be fine."

Souji wiped his brow. "Oh... Oh, good. I thought... I'm not sure what I thought."

"Well, anyway, that's about all that's happening over here." There was a pregnant pause, one that Souji could tell Yosuke would continue after. "How's... how's Tatsumi Port Island treating you, partner?"

Souji opened his mouth and then closed it.

"I talked with Naoto," Yosuke went on. "Well, actually I talked to Chie, who talked to Naoto for me, but... yeah. We know you're living down there now."

There was a silence in which Souji could have answered, but he didn't.

"I got kind of suspicious," Yosuke admitted, "when we talked on Culture Day. You're really interested in that place, and, well, I didn't want to interrogate you on your holiday, but..." Another pause. "You could have told me."

He should've known that Yosuke's natural curiosity would push him into figuring out what his partner was doing. Souji didn't know what to say; it was difficult to gauge someone's emotion by their voice alone, especially over a tinny cell phone. Was Yosuke mad at him, or maybe disappointed, and to what extent?

"I'm sorry, Yosuke," he tried. "The Kirijo Group offered a scholarship for me to go to Gekkoukan High. This place is strange and it's not home and I really wish I was in Inaba right now, but I really don't have much choice. I didn't want anyone to worry about me, so I didn't tell you or anyone else."

"Worry about you? Dude, you know me—I'm going to worry no matter where you are." Yosuke barked out a laugh, and Souji imagined that his friend was sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. "After what happened over summer... and now you're in the Kirijo Group's clutches? Are you sure we're gonna get you back when you graduate? I mean, they took Labrys-san away and made all those promises, but I haven't heard from her at all and... S-sorry..."

Yosuke couldn't handle being out of contact with any of his friends. It was part of why he called Souji at least every week. Souji had planned to ask Mitsuru about Labrys on his behalf, but he'd completely spaced it out due to the Apathy Syndrome incidences. "It's all right, Yosuke. I'm sure she's fine," Souji said. He trusted that the Kirijo Group hadn't locked her away somewhere. They hadn't done anything like that to Aigis, after all. "And the Kirijo Group is leaving me alone, for the most part. I just go to school like normal."

"Man, you're just too easygoing, sometimes," Yosuke muttered. "Trusting them just like that..."

Souji assured him again that he was safe. "On the bright side, the dorm they provided is co-ed!" Souji told him, hoping that would distract his friend and maybe cheer him up.

"Oh, yeah?" Yosuke certainly sounded more like himself. "Tell me about it!" Yes, he definitely took the bait.

"There's a girl—woman," he hastily amended, since Fuuka was older than he was. "She's staying right across from me. Her voice doesn't match her face, but she's very sweet. She cooked breakfast for me."

"And did you volunteer to take the trash out?" Yosuke teased. "Sounds rather domestic already!"

The conversation devolved from there, but at least he'd smoothed things over between him and his partner.

* * *

Souji felt restless just waiting for the full moon to come. He'd asked around at school, but most people hadn't known the students who'd attended a few years before, and he especially didn't want to bring up Kenji around Keiko-san, so his progress was mostly a bust.

The teachers were somewhat helpful—he learned at least that Aigis, Yukari, Kenji, and Kazushi had been in the same homeroom class back in 2009, and it was news to him that Aigis had been a student. He recalled she once said that she had been more robot than human back then. She must have learned fast to be able to go to school without being caught. He'd only known that she was a robot after meeting her during the P-1 Grand Prix because she'd shot bullets at him from her fingers.

Lacking any other plan for the moment, he decided to go fishing again after obtaining advice on what lures and baits to use for the area. This time he brought Koromaru with him so that the dog could get some fresh air. The park by the shrine was nice, but Souji really liked the smell and feel of the sea breeze. Koro-chan didn't seem to be picky, however—anywhere was nice for a walk!

Souji was casting his line when Taishi showed up. "Souji-kun! You're back at it, huh? Any luck this time?" His glasses glinted off the afternoon sunlight, almost blinding Souji.

"Not yet, but I'm confident," Souji told him. He reeled in the line just a little.

"That's right! Keep at it!" The boy seemed enthusiastic. "Hey, is that your dog?" Koromaru had stopped chasing a seagull to stand by Souji's side when Taishi approached and was now curiously looking at the newcomer.

"He is, actually, yeah. If you'd like, you can take him for a walk down the pier and back," Souji offered.

"Haha, well..." The boy rubbed the back of his neck, flustered at the suggestion. Koromaru nudged Taishi's legs until he started walking and then ran ahead. The dog barked at him to follow. "O-okay, then!"

Souji smiled to himself and turned back to his fishing. He thought he felt a nibble during that exchange, but it must have been the wind because the line soon slackened.

Taishi was panting by the time he returned. Souji offered him some water from a bottle and he accepted it. "Thanks. Man, that dog knows how to run! He made me chase him around and around..."

Koromaru barked happily.

"Now I'm beat..." He rested against the railing. "Huh, still no luck?"

"One thing fishing teaches you is infinite patience," Souji said with a sigh.

"Yeah, I see."

They stood in companionable silence for a bit. Souji hoped Taishi wasn't waiting for him to catch something. That could take a while...

A seagull crashed into the waves and came up with a piece of bread that someone had tossed in from farther down the pier. At least it hadn't come up with a fish.

"Umm, hey..." Taishi began. He was scratching his thumbnail on the railing. "They say Ms. Toriumi has Apathy Syndrome."

"Yeah," said Souji. _She and many others..._

"...I'm scared."

Souji set his rod down carefully against the railing to turn to Taishi and give him his full attention. His classmate wasn't looking at him, though, just staring over the railing down into the sea below them.

"I told you I was sick, right?" Taishi looked at him from the corner of his eye. "...Yeah. It was Apathy Syndrome."

Souji tried to show as much compassion as he could. Keiko-san had said it wasn't polite to ask, but... Now that he knew it was Shadow-induced, he wanted to learn as much as possible. "Will you tell me about it?" he asked quietly.

"I got it in October, 2009, or so I'm told. I don't remember at all what happened when I came down with it. Is that even the right word? I don't know..." He paused. "It's like sleeping, I suppose. I wasn't aware of anything at all while I had it, but I remember hearing something call my name in a creepy voice..."

A Shadow, perhaps?

"And then I 'woke up' in January. It was the middle of the night. I was in my bed... My parents had been keeping me there. They took care of me the whole time. Can you imagine that...?"

Souji shook his head and wondered darkly what his parents would have done in that situation. He cut off that line of thought rather soon.

"I'd been in bed so long that I couldn't really walk. My muscles were all screwed up, I guess..." Taishi took some time to stretch. He reached his arms down to touch his toes and then straightened up. "I'm not going to worry. The news hasn't said anything about it. I haven't seen anyone in the city with it. Hopefully our teacher will wake up soon... Everyone got better eventually, and most of the cases weren't even as long as mine."

The success of Mitsuru's mission must have ended it... But if she had indeed been successful, why was it coming back?

* * *

Mitsuru returned to the dorm on the night of the full moon. She wasted no time, immediately setting Fuuka to scan once again in the command room. The computer console's main screen was set to show a digital clock and it was currently 22:00.

"Nothing at all…" Fuuka murmured from within her Persona.

"We'll try every half-hour," Mitsuru said. Fuuka nodded, determination etched on her face.

During the downtime before the next scan, Mitsuru turned to Souji. "Seta, I must inform you. Yukari Takeba is another victim. She has Apathy Syndrome as well."

"Yes, Yamagishi-san showed me a list of the current victims."

"Good. Then you are aware. To have one of our own afflicted… pas bon. Perhaps we're dealing with a Shadow that can mask its presence."

There were as many types of Shadows as there were fish in the sea, it seemed sometimes. Well, maybe that was a poor metaphor since he'd still caught nothing in the sea around Tatsumi Port Island. "I don't recall encountering such a thing myself, but it's not impossible," he supposed.

"If that's the case, our job will be much more difficult." She sighed and tightened her lips.

Time passed. Fuuka worked at her laptop and Mitsuru stepped out of the room several times throughout the night to use her cell phone, sometimes calling and sometimes receiving. The one time she seemed not to be busy, Souji took the opportunity to ask about Labrys.

Mitsuru smiled at him despite the current situation. "I was surprised it took you this long to ask, Seta. In fact, the reason I arrived so late here tonight was because Aigis and I were at the lab checking up on the situation there."

"The situation?" Souji asked. Was something Shadow-related happening elsewhere while they were here at the dorm?

"Our scientists are hard at work upgrading Labrys's infrastructure so that in the future, any enemy will have a much more difficult time in hacking her system," Mitsuru explained. During the P-1 Grand Prix, Labrys had been hacked and forced to attack Yosuke. Labrys had been powerful, too, with her massive ax; Souji couldn't deny that a repeat of that incident couldn't be allowed to happen.

Still, it had been over half a year ago. "Well... How much longer will it take?"

"Our technicians wouldn't hazard a guess, but some time still, I suspect. Labrys is an older unit, so it might require additional work. I'm sorry that I cannot explain it in a more satisfactory way. The science of robotics is not my forte." She uncrossed her arms to wave her hand in a helpless gesture. "Aigis has remained behind this evening to contribute her own knowledge to the cause."

"Fair enough," Souji said. He didn't know much about that sort of thing, either, and it sounded like it made sense.

Mitsuru's phone rang once again, and she excused herself to take it, effectively ending the conversation.

* * *

Souji stifled a yawn. He'd become accustomed to going to bed at a decent hour. As the clock ticked towards midnight, both Mitsuru and Fuuka seemed to become more animated. "Midnight is when the Dark Hour struck," Mitsuru explained. "If we'll have any luck at all, it'll be then."

Midnight… It made Souji think of the Midnight Channel. It was interesting that midnight was relevant to both teams' experiences. Knowing that Shadows came from human emotions, maybe humanity's mysticism regarding that hour had forced it into being as important as it was. If he was interested in psychology, maybe he'd look into that…

A minute before midnight, Fuuka summoned her Persona once again, planning to continuously scan during the change into the next hour. They watched her carefully. Mitsuru's only sign that she was nervous was how she kept her arms crossed, one hand toying with a curl of her silky red hair.

The clock on the monitor changed to 00:00.

A sudden, blood-curdling scream forced Souji to cover his ears. Mitsuru jumped to her feet.

It had come from _Fuuka._ Her Persona flailed around her and she collapsed to the floor in a crumpled heap. The Persona dissipated.

"Yamagishi!" Mitsuru cried, and Souji rushed towards her.

He turned her over. Her eyes were glassy, unseeing, and her face blank. "Ahhhh…"

Souji caught Mitsuru's eyes. "Apathy Syndrome?"

"Artemisia!" Mitsuru shouted, taking out her Evoker and aiming it at her temple. Her Persona appeared before her, a feminine figure in a blue dress with coppery armor plating. A red mask covered the upper half of its face. "Nothing… Nothing!" Mitsuru hissed in irritation and cursed in an unladylike fashion. She continued scanning for several minutes, but to no avail.

Souji cradled Fuuka's head in his hands. He was reminded of Yukiko, somehow, even though they looked nothing alike...

* * *

Mitsuru didn't speak except to give a terse explanation to the paramedics. After they left, taking Fuuka with them on a stretcher, she scowled and fingered her Evoker. "We're dealing with something we aren't prepared to handle."

"What are we going to do?" Souji asked her.

"I..." she began, and her scowl deepened. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot against the ground as she thought. "Yamagishi is an important asset. I should have brought her in sooner. That makes two former SEES members afflicted, and another Gekkoukan High graduate. Is someone targeting our friends? Ikutsuki is dead, but perhaps he had allies that we are unaware of. Forgive me, Seta, but I have to think."

"It's late," Souji said. "Maybe you should rest."

"I used to stay up hours past midnight fighting Shadows," she snapped. Then she saw the concern in his eyes, and her expression softened. "No, you're right, and you have school tomorrow. I'll be in contact," she promised.


	15. Chapter 15 - Missing Links

Souji tossed and turned in his sleep. He kept thinking of Apathy Syndrome. There had to be a connection between the victims. Three years ago, Apathy Syndrome had run rampant...

Several of the current victims had been students at Gekkoukan High three years ago, so their connection to each other was obvious. The elderly couple bothered Souji, but he knew from Keiko-san that students in her book club at least often went to the bookstore, so they had a connection to the school, although it was tenuous at best. Mamoru Hayase had been a track runner from a rival school—he'd been the one who'd won the summer track competition, so he'd met Gekkoukan students then.

TV Tanaka... Souji had no idea about that one... Maybe he had visited the school as a guest speaker?

And Maiko-chan... She'd gone to Gekkoukan Elementary back then. Souji couldn't see a connection. He could ask Ken, but he hadn't known her three years ago.

On a hunch, he decided to visit Maiko-chan's father.

* * *

Oohashi-san looked like a dead man. His hair was unkempt, and his clothes seemed like they had been worn for more than a few days straight. Souji's heart twinged for him. It was obvious that Maiko-chan's condition had not improved.

Recognizing Souji from his previous visit, the man allowed him into the apartment without a word and invited him to sit at the living room table with a short gesture. The apartment, much like the man, was a bit of a wreck. It smelled ripe; in his depression, the man hadn't taken the trash out in a while, and half-finished take-out boxes littered the floor.

"Oohashi-san," Souji began. "I would like to ask some questions about your daughter."

The man simply nodded, his morose expression unchanging.

"Apathy Syndrome was common three years ago," Souji went on. "We think the resurgence might be related to events from that time. Can you tell me about your daughter during then?"

The man frowned in thought, and his tongue seemed thick in his mouth when he finally began to speak. "My... My ex-wife and I were going through our divorce then... It was a difficult time for Maiko-chan... But she came to terms with it, and she is—was—doing fine until..."

"Did she tell you about anything strange perhaps at school? Now or in the past."

"She didn't talk to me about that... But I remember..." The man grimaced.

"Yes?" Souji prompted.

"She worried that... that we didn't love her. It's hard for a child so young to understand divorce." He shook his head in sadness. "She would stay away from home as long as she could to avoid us... There was a playground she liked..."

"At the Naganaki Shrine," Souji finished, remembering what Ken had told him. "I live near there," he added when the man gave him an odd look.

"She tried running away from home once. We went there first, and she wasn't there. We were scared out of our wits... Thank god there was someone there who knew her. Some high schooler."

Souji stirred and sat up straighter. "From Gekkoukan?"

Oohashi-san nodded. "It turns out she'd made friends with him without our knowledge. He helped us find her. She was at that takoyaki stand by Iwatodai Station. Things weren't great, but my ex-wife and I had a good long talk with Maiko-chan... She chose to stay with her mother after the divorce, but sometimes she visits me... We don't want to move her now... So I'm keeping her... The ex-wife visits every day she can... It's hard on both of us... I pray every day that she gets better soon..."

Souji waited for the man to collect himself before asking more about that high school student.

Oohashi-san growled. "Maiko-chan said she was going to marry him!"

Souji suddenly had a vision of Nanako-chan, right before he'd left Inaba back in March...

"I went and found that bastard and... Well, it turned out to be a misunderstanding, but..."

"Did you get his name?" Souji pressed. "What did he look like?"

The man seemed embarrassed. "N-no... Well, he was a relaxed kid... Didn't bat an eyelash when I almost punched him... He had dark hair, blue."

Souji thanked the man for his help.

* * *

His next stop was Octopia, the takoyaki stand Maiko-chan's father had mentioned.

Souji bought some of the strange takoyaki—no octopus? —and proceeded to make small talk with the owner since there weren't any other customers. "Excuse me, could I ask some questions? That is, if you worked here three years ago..."

The lady nodded. "Sure. I own this place. What's up?"

"Did you ever see a blue-haired boy around here three years ago? He was a Gekkoukan High student."

"Oh, sure! He was here all the time with one friend or another. Didn't buy much takoyaki, though..." She made a face.

"What was his name?"

The woman shrugged. "Dunno..."

"Did he go to the bookstore a lot?" Souji prodded. Bookworms was just down the street from the takoyaki stand.

"Oh, yeah. Bunkichi-san talked about him all the time. That's right. His name was Minato-chan."

Souji's eyes widened. "Minato-chan..."

"He had a takoyaki eating contest with that star runner once," the lady added as an afterthought. "I think it ended in a tie?"

"Mamoru Hayase?"

The woman confirmed the name, and Souji thanked her by buying another takoyaki. It was an interesting flavor without the octopus... He wasn't sure he liked it.

So... The blue-haired boy was named Minato... It could only be Minato Arisato, the boy who'd died on the school's rooftop.

* * *

Souji returned straight to the dorm and opened the school yearbook from three years ago. He used the index to find every page Minato Arisato had been mentioned on.

Here was a picture of him with the Student Council—with Chihiro Fushimi. There he was with the track team—Kazushi Miyamoto—here in Home Economics sewing something, there in the photography room, looking up at a negative that someone—was that Fuuka-san!?—was holding...

And here he was with Kenji Tomochika and Yukari Takeba and Kazushi Miyamoto and Ms. Toriumi in a homeroom class 2-E photograph...

But Arisato was dead. Why were his friends and acquaintances being targeted with Apathy Syndrome? Souji understood there existed a supernatural element to the world, but he didn't believe in ghosts, and he suspected Arisato's ghost wouldn't be malevolent.

He took out his cell phone to call Aigis and give her the news, but when he turned it on, he found he had several missed calls—from Aigis. He'd had his phone turned off to be polite when he was speaking with Oohashi-san.

He frowned at the phone and saw that Aigis had resorted to texting him. He opened the message and discovered...

_Mitsuru-san now had Apathy Syndrome. _


	16. Chapter 16 - Far in Mist

Koromaru howled outside Souji's door, waking him up. He felt like he'd only been asleep for an hour or two, but that dog was not giving up. "I already let you out," he muttered to himself as he walked to the door. "And you know where the bathroom is."

He opened the door and looked down at the animal. In the darkness, Koromaru was only a shadowy shape in front of him. The dog's eyes glowed in the dark right back at him. Koromaru wasn't happy. His ears were drooping—he seemed worried, somehow.

"What's going on?" Souji asked. Something about the atmosphere seemed off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Kind of... TV World-ish...? His brow knit together at the thought.

Koromaru raced down the hall and howled at the window at the very end.

Souji walked towards him and stepped in something wet on the floor. He danced back, cursing. He was in his bare feet, too... He wiped his wet foot against the carpet. "Koro!" he groaned. "Bad dog."

This was shaping up to be a great night.

Koromaru whined at him and pawed at the window.

Souji turned on the hallway light—there was no way he was going to step on _that_ again—but the switch didn't do anything. He went in his room to put on his slippers and grab his cell phone, hoping to use its light, but it wouldn't turn on. He was sure he had charged it...

Slowly his eyes adjusted to the green-tinted light coming from the window at the end of the hall, and he could make out a couple more puddles at different intervals all down the hall. He'd been wrong; the dog hadn't had an accident. The liquid was too dark in hue for that. It was... something else...

Koromaru had moved from the window and was indicating that he should go up the stairs. The dog took him to the fifth floor and pawed at the door to the roof. Souji opened the door and the dog dashed out.

Souji took one step out and stared at the sky. The moon was gargantuan; it looked like it was crashing down to earth like a meteor or maybe a Megido spell.

It was also a sickly _bright yellow._

At least it gave off plenty of light to see by, as yellow-tinted as it was. Souji noted several more puddles of red liquid on the rooftop. Blood? He didn't want to check. A crack in the wall near the door seemed to be oozing the stuff. He watched it drip slowly to the floor like crimson molasses.

"This is the Dark Hour?"

Koromaru barked in affirmation.

"Then... It's back. Mitsuru-san's team was supposed to have destroyed it. Well, you were there, right?"

Koromaru whined and dashed to the edge of the roof.

Souji looked where the dog pointed with his snout and dread filled his heart.

Far in the distance was a twisted tower stretching so high into the night that it dwarfed even the tallest buildings in Tatsumi Port Island. The tower glowed like an ethereal green beacon... He didn't have to ask Koromaru to know that it was Tartarus.

The dog whined at him again without taking his eyes off the tower.

"We have to go there, don't we?"

Koromaru glanced at him for a moment before looking back at it, ears drawn back. After another moment, the dog sighed and trotted back to the door. Souji followed him back inside the dorm and made straight for his room. First he changed into his school uniform since he was used to fighting in such clothes. Then he pulled his katana out from under the bed, where he'd hidden it, and strapped it onto his back. He packed other essential items—medicines and the like—and headed to the ground floor, where Koromaru was waiting for him, dagger wedged between his teeth.

He opened the dorm's front door, but Koromaru refused to follow him out. Souji blinked at him. "I thought you wanted to go there?" The dog growled and whined, but Souji didn't understand, so the animal ran behind the reception counter. Souji followed and found him pawing at the metal briefcase.

Souji's lips tightened. Yeah, he'd need that Evoker.

...Or would he? He tried to imagine one of his Persona cards, but nothing happened. His Personas were still there—he sensed them. They were just... dormant.

Without a word, he pulled out the key, unlocked the briefcase, and strapped the gun to his waist with the holster that came with it. He resettled his Gekkoukan High jacket over the gun to hide it.

Now Koromaru followed him, or rather, led him. The dog seemed to be in a hurry. Souji told him to slow down, else they'd both be tired by the time they reached the tower, and received a worried whimper in response.

With the eerie absence of everyday street noise, the city felt like a ghost town. No cars going by, no people in the streets. Even at midnight, Tatsumi Port Island was a busy enough city with a healthy night life. He should hear taxi horns or police sirens or _something,_ not this dead silence punctuated by the sounds of their footsteps.

In fact, the city's emptiness reminded him of the TV World dungeon his subconsciousness had built around him when he'd recklessly entered a TV by himself in the summer. It had been a bunch of random houses and apartments haphazardly dropped next to each other—the various places he had lived over the course of his life. Throughout his life, he'd never really had a place to call home, not really, he thought to himself with a sigh. Just like his dungeon, there seemed to be no Shadows around, either...

The bizarre sight of an upright red coffin stopped him in his tracks. It was set up on a street corner as if it was a pedestrian trying to cross the road. Mist curled around its base. _What in the world?_ he thought. As he continued to stare at it, wondering if he should approach, Koromaru began to nudge him until he walked past it. Apparently, it wasn't important. In fact, he saw dozens more as he continued on.

What was important, he soon discovered, was that the trains weren't running. They'd have to walk the entire way to Gekkoukan High, and Souji wasn't sure he even knew the way. Koromaru seemed to know, though. He'd have to reward the animal with some designer dog food when they got through this night.

Souji fell into the familiar running pace he'd used in the TV World, one that he could keep up for a long time. He worried that he'd be winded before even arriving at the tower. The kendo club helped keep him in shape, but he wasn't used to running long distances. Without his uncle's scooter, he'd been walking everywhere in Tastumi Port Island, but walking was very different from sustained running...

He stopped once again when they reached the Moonlight Bridge. The inlet sea underneath the bridge was blood red. He didn't want to know what kind of fish would live in those depths... Koromaru barked at him until he continued across the bridge.

The tower drew closer and closer until it blotted out even the massive moon. After what seemed like an eternity, they were finally there. It was even more nightmarish up close, like an unholy blending of the works of Salvador Dali with M.C. Escher, with staircases jutting out of the main structure at odd angles and clock faces haphazardly melded onto it, all with an eldritch green glow emanating from it.

Souji felt sick just looking at it.

Koromaru barked at him for lingering at the gates for too long. He entered the school's courtyard with trepidation, then headed into Tartarus's glowing blue entrance.

"Seta-san!" a voice shouted.

Ahead of him was a staircase that led up to a door set within a massive clock face, and sitting on the lower steps was Ken Amada. The boy was gripping a spear.

"Ken-chan!? Err, I mean, Ken-kun," Souji hastily corrected. He walked towards the boy, who stood up. Elevated by the steps, he was almost as tall as Souji.

"I was so worried," Ken said, "but I had a feeling you'd come. Even if Koro had to drag you. I'm... really glad." Souji could see the lines of worry present on the boy's face.

The boy went on to explain that he'd felt the Dark Hour strike and had seen Tartarus from his dorm and known that he had to go to it.

"Do we have to climb this thing?" Souji asked, glancing at the top of the stairs, fearful of the answer. He'd do it, if he had to, but it wasn't something to look forward to, not at all.

The boy toyed with the spear in his hands. "We made it to the top before, but it took months. The teleporter might still work." He pointed to a strange device with golden arches to the right of the staircase. "But... We should probably wait for Mitsuru-san and Aigis-san. If they're in town, I'm sure they'll be here soon."

"I... have some bad news," Souji said. He proceeded to explain that Mitsuru was out of commission. "And Aigis-san hasn't been answering her phone all night. I'm worried."

Ken's eyes were large saucers. "We're on our own?"

"I have a really bad feeling about this," Souji replied. "I don't think we have much time."

Ken nodded. "I sense it, too."

"But I don't want to go in blind. Tell me about this place, Ken-kun."

Ken explained that Tartarus could be broken down into six blocks, each consisting of dozens of floors. Each floor was maze-like with an ever-shifting layout. Navigation would be difficult, but not impossible, without help from Fuuka or Mitsuru. "Koromaru's nose can guide us back to where we started on a floor, if it comes down to it," Ken said. "There are also access points that can be used to return to this area, but they're one-way, so we'd have to start over again."

He walked over to the teleportation device and touched it. Pale green light emanated from it suddenly, and he told Souji to step onto the panel between the arches. Blinding white light covered him, and when he stepped forward, he was in a room with shimmering tiled floors and elegant crystal walls.

Ken and Koromaru soon appeared behind him. "Hmm, I tried to have it take us as high as it could," Ken told him, "but I'm not sure exactly how far we are from the top."

"I wonder what we'll find up there," Souji said.

Ken laughed without any humor at all.

Before they could muse about it, Koromaru barked in warning—Shadows were approaching.

The shapeless Shadows resolved into three different Shadows: a large monster that rocked on four legs and had two long silver blades instead of arms, a pair of dice floating within a hoop, and a white balance monster about Ken's height. Souji had seen the latter two types of Shadows before, but the first was a new one, and its size was intimidating.

A bloodcurdling howl sounded out, and purplish mist formed a seal under the enemies—a darkness skill. Souji looked to the side and saw that Koromaru's Persona, a black three-headed dog with a metallic blue underbelly, was the source of the attack. The dice fell to it in a flash.

Immediately after, a powerful lightning strike hammered into the balance, knocking it down. Ken summoned Kala-Nemi again to repeat the Ziodyne on the four-legged Shadow, which was also knocked flat off its feet.

While the Shadows struggled to get back up, Koromaru barked a question at Souji, who hefted his katana and nodded, and the three dispatched the downed Shadows with ease.

"What kind of leader was Mitsuru-san?" Souji wondered out loud now that the fight was over. Her team must have been very close-knit to need so few instructions in battle. He hadn't told either of them what to do, but the dog and the boy had acted impressively in-sync.

"Umm, Seta-san," Ken said somewhat reluctantly. "Mitsuru-san wasn't our leader."

"It was Aigis-san?" Souji frowned. That didn't sound right, either. But neither did Akihiko-san... or Takeba-san... or Ken-chan...

"Let's stop for a moment," Ken suggested. "You really should know what happened. Especially since we're _here_ and we have no idea what we're going to encounter... This isn't right..."

They found a corner free of Shadows, and Koromaru stood guard while they stopped to rest.

"Our leader died, Seta-san," Ken said quietly. "After the final battle. He was..."

The gears clicked in Souji's head. "Minato Arisato." Keiko-san had said he had been friends with the Student Council President—Mitsuru. Of course.

Ken nodded. "He was a good man. You're kind of similar to him. But not really." Ken began to fidget with his spear and avoided Souji's eyes. "He was very special—he could use lots of different Personas. But he also had a Shadow living within him. A Shadow that represented Death itself."

Arisato, then, was the 'him' that Aigis and Mitsuru had told Souji he reminded them of. Another Wild Card. Empty, and yet full of infinite possibilities.

And Arisato's possibility had been Death?

But Ken had more to say. "Arisato-san didn't just die, Seta-san."

"What do you mean?"

Ken told him about Nyx, the goddess that would bring about the end of the world should humanity's desire for it reach her—and that Arisato had given himself up to create a barrier that would prevent the desire from ever reaching her.

"So," said Ken, poking his index fingers together, "it's like he's still watching over all of us."

Souji said nothing, but kept his eyes on Ken, who looked extremely worried.

"If the Dark Hour and Tartarus can come back like this," Ken muttered miserably, "does that mean it was all for nothing?"

Before Souji could form an answer, Koromaru emitted a cry that sounded like he'd been hit. The dog bounded towards them, barking furiously. Within seconds, they heard chains rattling in the distance—and growing louder. Ken leaped to his feet, eyes wide. "Seta-san! We need to find the next floor—fast!"

They turned a corner and ran into a pack of small, shrimpy-looking Shadows that seemed to be simple blobs with stubby arms and arcana masks. Koromaru's Persona came to life and brought intense waves of fire down that completely incinerated them.

"Uh, good dog!" Souji called out.

"We kind of remember what we were good against from the last time we were here," Ken explained as they kept running. "Uh, now _those_ things aren't weak to fire or electricity, so..."

Ahead was a trio of giant, iridescent jewel-encrusted horn beetles wearing small crowns. Souji brought his katana down on one, but it wasn't able to pierce the carapace, and the beetle countered by ramming its horn into his chest. He staggered back from the pain but remained standing.

In the meantime, Ken had summoned Kala-Nemi, and a large, circular seal of light formed under the beetles. Cards floated around them—a light skill. Only one of the beetles was taken down by it.

"If I remember right, Sanada-san could knock these right over with ease," Ken said. "Strike attacks..."

Koromaru brought out another Maragidyne, and Ken laughed. "Or we can just do it that way, too!"

The beetles were singed by the fiery attack but remained standing. One knocked Ken away with a powerful hit of its horn.

As a beetle turned towards him, Souji fumbled with his Evoker. He really should have practiced with it. He looked right down the barrel, at that black hole. _It's not really a gun,_ he told himself. He'd seen Ken do it several times now. They were going to need his abilities soon...

"Arahabaki!" he shouted. He put the gun right to his forehead and pulled the trigger. The blue, statuesque Persona defeated both remaining beetles with a powerful strike.

"Nice, Seta-san!" Ken called. The boy summoned his Persona to use a healing spell on him.

Souji was staring at the Evoker. It was still a strange thing to him. It wasn't a real gun, it had no bullets... but firing it had _hurt._ Summoning via Persona card within the TV World had felt so natural, so _normal..._

"Koro says the stairs are near! Let's go, Seta-san!" Ken tugged at his sleeve urgently; the rattling was becoming very close now.

"R-right!"

* * *

"Are you getting tired, Seta-san? We could go back. I saw an access point on this floor."

They'd climbed six more floors of the Adamah block, and Souji was starting to become a bit winded. This Dark Hour thing was different from the TV World, that was for sure, and the walk all the way from Iwatodai hadn't helped. "No wonder Arisato-san was on the Track Team," Souji muttered. Though, now that he thought about it, it was more likely his team had used the trains to arrive at the school before the Dark Hour.

"Here, Seta-san." Ken handed him a fruit chew. "You said you like sweets, so..." Souji took it and then patted Ken on the head. "H-hey!" the boy protested, pulling away from him.

Souji unwrapped the candy and put it in his mouth. "Thank you, Ken-kun..."

"I used to keep a lot of them with me because Snuff Souls taste bad."

Souji nodded his agreement. Not nearly as bad as Mystery Food X. He remembered how Yosuke had been kicked by Chie when he'd made that comparison once in the TV World.

"We should be over halfway there," Ken informed him. "Do you think... we should go for the top tonight? Or come back another day?"

Souji chewed the candy thoughtfully. "Top."

"I agree. How about you, Koro-chan?"

The dog woofed.

"By the way, Ken-kun," Souji said after he'd finished the candy. "We've been in here way longer than an hour... I'm sure of it."

"We never really figured out how time works during the Dark Hour," Ken admitted. "But we've never had to worry about it, either."

Souji stood up, stretched his arms and neck, and led the way.

They found a military tank blocking the stairs to the next floor. It was decorated with luxurious golden banners and was large enough to run them all over at once if it wanted to. Its turret turned towards them as they approached.

Ken started out with a Ziodyne, but the enemy reflected it. Ken screamed in pain as the electricity arced into him. Koromaru howled, but his Agidyne didn't seem to do much to it. Souji slashed at it with his katana, but the weapon also had little effect.

The tank began to charge up.

"Ugh, tanks are usually weak to electricity," Ken muttered, shaking his head to clear the pain. "Looks like you're gonna have to summon again, Seta-san!"

Due to his dislike of it, Souji hadn't been using his Evoker unless he absolutely had to, which had worked well enough so far. His katana had carried him through the few times in which the dog-and-boy's Hama/Mudo tag-team hadn't finished the Shadows. But Ken was right; the two were starting to become low on energy, and it was time for Souji to pick up the slack.

Souji switched his Persona to Loki and had the mythological trickster use Bufudyne. The tank was frozen in place for a second as the ice interfered with its treads, but it didn't fall over, and the ice soon disappeared. At least he knew the attack had worked. He started to charge his mental energy to power up. Ken tried to thrust his spear at the tank, but it rolled away from him and Ken fell over from his momentum.

The tank shot a tremendous arc of electricity at Souji, for it had also been charging. He hissed and his hair stood on edge, but he bore the attack, returning with his powered-up Niflheim. The tank was encased in ice until it simply broke down.

Souji pulled Ken to his feet. "Are you all right?"

"Seta-san... You have more than one Persona?"

"Oh, yeah." He wondered if he should have told the boy sooner.

"That's useful," Ken noted. "But..."

"It reminds you of Arisato-san, doesn't it?"

"Aigis-san, too. She inherited his ability."

Souji recalled that she had a Velvet Key. Was it originally Arisato's key? "I'm sorry if it bothers you," Souji said.

"It's not that. It's just..." Ken was worried about something. He shook his head. "No, it's nothing. It's great that you can switch like that. You obviously know what you're doing, too. You beat that tank easily."

Souji shrugged off the compliment. "We should keep going. We've been on this floor too long."

* * *

"Here, here it is!" the boy declared at the top of the stairs a few floors later. The stairs led to an open area and a large staircase leading farther up. "This is where we'd fought Strega. We're almost at the top. We can probably rest here."

"All right. Let's take a short break."

They sat on opposite sides of a graceful crystal structure that protruded from the shimmering floor. Souji brought out a bottle of water and glared at the red liquid within it. The water had turned into that blood-like substance because it was the Dark Hour. Ken had explained it earlier—that's why the sea under the Moonlight Bridge had been red. The boy had said it probably wasn't really blood, but he didn't want to find out. Souji sighed and wished he'd brought some TaP Soda or some other refreshments. He'd had Yosuke in charge of that back home. Err, back in the TV World, that is. Yosuke had been pretty good at sneaking stuff from Junes' break room. They had always been supplied with cold drinks and bags of snacks.

He felt bad for Koromaru; the dog had been panting for the last set of floors. Then he saw Ken pouring a drink—some sort of cola—out to him from a can. They really did make a good team.

"What could be up there?" Souji mused. "I don't like to worry about what-if's too much... but I wonder what you've encountered before?"

Ken took a deep breath before speaking. "We fought Nyx's avatar. It was harder than anything we'd encountered in Tartarus. I really... don't know if the three of us alone could take it, if it happens to be up there. We didn't exactly win back then, anyway... We had been given January 31st as a deadline. Today is, what? December 12th?"

"Yeah... I have exams next week..."

"I wish Aigis-san was here..." Ken muttered. "She was our leader for a while, too."

"Tell me about the fight with Nyx, if you can remember. We'll need to be prepared for anything."

Ken tried to recall all the different types of attacks the avatar had utilized. Koromaru pitched in at times, and Souji was able to get a clearer picture of what they could be up against.

Souji stood up. "All right. Are you two ready? Let's face this."


	17. Chapter 17 - Him

It was a good thing Souji wasn't afraid of heights. The top of Tartarus opened to the night sky, and they were so high up that the city was no longer visible at all. That great yellow-green moon high in the night sky shone down on them. Its immense size reminded him of Ameno-sagiri. He shuddered when he imagined the moon opening an eyeball and looking down at them.

The roof was... startlingly empty. It was a flat arena, and the darkness of the floor contrasted starkly with the previous level's bright crystal. Ringing the arena were stone pillars topped with grotesque winged gargoyles, facing inward like they were about to pounce down from their perches at any moment.

In the very center of the arena stood an oversized golden door. It was not connected to any sort of wall—much like the Velvet Room door, it just stood there on its own.

The three of them approached the door cautiously. Their footsteps echoed in the dead silence of the night.

"Before you ask," said Ken, his voice hushed even though there was no one aside from them to hear, "this was not here last time."

"So it's not a free trip to the first floor?" Souji pretended to sound disappointed to ease some of their tension.

"I suppose we'll have to find out. Seta-san, will you open it?"

Souji inched closer to the door and poked it with his katana. Aside from the clang of metal, it failed to react in any way. He sighed, gripped the door's handle, and yanked it open in one quick motion.

A golden glowing butterfly flew out from the door and hovered in front of his face. Reflexively, he held out his hand to it, and it landed on his index finger, flexed its wings, and suddenly faded away.

He frowned and looked at Ken. "Did you see that...?"

They hadn't noticed—both dog and boy were staring through the open door, which seemed to lead only into a murky darkness. Souji watched for several moments, hoping his eyes might adjust and reveal something within, but he had no such luck. With a sigh of trepidation, he went through the door.

The door disappeared behind him.

In front of him was nothing but a sea of darkness, but it wasn't true darkness because he could see himself clearly. He walked forward, hands out, trying to feel for something, anything... but there seemed to be nothing.

It was like being in the white fog after he'd almost died to Izanami. His mouth became dry at the thought, and he began to breathe too quickly. He suspected Margaret wouldn't come for him this time to bring him the strength to go on, to remind him of those relying on him. No, no, calm down, he told himself. He was still standing. He was still alive. There had to be something here, something important. He'd find it. He set his jaw in determination and strode forward into the darkness.

"Seta-san!"

He glanced behind him. Ken and Koromaru were catching up to him. It was disturbing to see them running over the inky blackness. Now they were trapped, too...

"Where are we?" Ken asked, stopping before him. "It feels familiar..."

It wasn't familiar to Souji at all.

The darkness blinked out suddenly, leaving behind...

The universe?

They were standing on nothing, although the nothingness seemed solid beneath their feet. There were stars all around them, like the night sky visible only in the most rural reaches of Japan...

"Oh," said Ken. It sounded like a memory was coming back to him. Then he shouted, "Oh, no! This is bad!" Ken gripped his spear and entered his battle stance.

Koromaru's ears drew back and he began to cry and whimper.

Souji held up his katana, but he didn't see anything to fight. He told Ken so.

"Listen," the boy told him. "Can't you hear it?"

Souji strained his ears. Yes, some distance away was some sort of snarling beast, but the sound was faint. "What is it? Is it going to attack us?"

"Yes! No! I mean..." Ken frowned. "We shouldn't be here!"

"Where can we go?" Souji wasn't exactly looking for a fight, but...

Thoughts were obviously racing through Ken's mind. "But it shouldn't be there, either. Come on! I think we have to go there! Be ready to fight, Seta-san! It'll want to kill you!"

They raced towards the sound.

A Shadow far larger than any Souji had encountered—perhaps rivaling Izanami's true form—was attacking a giant golden door, trying, it seemed, to claw its way through. A human-shaped statue was chained to the door by barbed wire. Both the statue and the door had taken visible damage from the beastly Shadow's attacks. In fact, blood seemed to be seeping from the statue, dripping down its body and pooling to the floor.

As they watched, the Shadow drew back a clawed arm and raked it against the statue. Blood sprayed upon contact, and the statue was rocked on its chains... but it ultimately held on.

"That's Arisato-san, the Seal!" Ken shouted. "That monster is Erebus, and it's trying to break the Seal. It's not supposed to be able to hurt it...!"

The statue's features were so marred by the blood that Souji hadn't been able to recognize it. He could see, now, with the way the hair fell, that yes, it was the boy who'd given up his life...

"It clearly looks like it's making progress. We have to stop it," Souji declared. He readied Trumpeter in his mind.

"Y-yeah," Ken said, "but if it kills you, it'll be able to break through using your abilities. It tried to kill Aigis-san before in the same way—please be careful!"

Souji nodded and used an ability to improve his strength, agility, and sturdiness before engaging in the massive Shadow.

The Shadow saw him coming with its glowing red eyes—it vaguely resembled a two-headed dog, with a head on either end of its corpse-like body. It swiped a massive clawed arm at him, but he dodged it. He brought his Evoker to his head and summoned the winged skeletal Persona again, this time to debilitate the monster's parameters. Something so large couldn't be allowed to move with speed.

Erebus coughed up flames, and Souji screamed in agony as the inferno engulfed him. Pale light covered him and he recovered instantly—Ken's Diarahan. He saw a flash of white—Koromaru nimbly attacking the beast with his dagger, and then Koromaru's Persona brought its own flames down on the enemy, but it didn't seem to have much effect.

It was almost like they were a trio of wasps provoking a bear, their stings mostly insignificant. Souji invoked Yoshitsune and began to charge, while Ken brought down his most powerful lightning attack. Erebus spat fire again, but Yoshitsune allowed Souji to shrug off the flames, and Koromaru's Cerberus almost welcomed them. Ken, on the other hand, was hurting, and had to invoke another Diarahan on himself.

Yoshitsune's Hassou Tobi struck eight times, and Erebus roared so powerfully in response that it knocked everyone from their feet. Erebus then belched noxious gas. Souji tried covering his mouth, but he couldn't hold his breath for long enough. The gas burned his eyes, mouth, and throat.

White square seals of light floated around the party. Fortunately, Souji was still using Yoshitsune, which reflected Light skills, and Ken was immune to it.

Koromaru, on the other hand...

The dog gave a short yelp and fell over.

"No! Koro!" Ken cried. He summoned Kala-Nemi to try to resuscitate the animal, but Erebus followed up its attack with a Mamudoon.

Souji eyed the purple-black mist as it formed the seal and prayed for the best—Yoshitsune was not immune to darkness.

The mist faded from existence, but...

"Ken-chan!" Souji shouted, watching the boy slump forward.

What an unfortunate complement of weaknesses the boy and the dog carried...

Souji summoned Kohryu and brought Ken back to consciousness, hoping Erebus would not repeat its darkness attack.

It didn't. A blast of powerful lightning arced towards Souji—but Kohryu reflected it back at the beast, singing it. Erebus roared in anger and swiped at Souji with its claws. He couldn't dodge in time, Trumpeter's boosts having faded, and the claws tore along his chest, shredding through clothes and skin.

Ken brought Koromaru back, and the dog's Persona used a skill to boost their speed. When Erebus swiped again so widely that its attack would hit all three of them, Souji was able to dodge it, and Koromaru leaped forward so that he not only dodged the attack, he was able to turn the leap into an attack of his own.

The battle raged on for what could have been hours; time here was inconsequential. Souji's breath was running ragged, and he could see both Ken and Koromaru were beginning to falter. He wished for an instant that Rise was here; sometimes her Persona would be able to sneak in a recovery skill, or a 'pick-me-up' as she called it, from the sidelines...

But Erebus was beginning to show signs of wear as well. The next time it used a light skill, it missed everyone. It was also starting to get desperate—it was starting to use Megidolaon as often as it could. Ken was barely able to keep up healing the party in its aftermath as another star-strike would inevitably come crashing down.

Then the monster suddenly stopped attacking, curling in on itself and gathering darkness towards its greater body.

"I remember this!" Ken shouted. "We've got to break its concentration, or else!"

Souji didn't have to ask, 'or else what?' He simply nodded with determination and switched to his ultimate Persona, Izanagi-no-Okami and brought his own Megidolaon down on the beast. Ken followed by having Kala-Nemi punch at it, and Koromaru's Cerberus brought forth ever more flames. They continued to attack it until the beast howled and the darkness it had gathered dispersed into the ether.

Souji was mentally drained after he'd used another Megidolaon, so he hefted his katana and prepared to go toe-to-toe with the monster. Erebus seemed to welcome the challenge. It roared at him as it brought down its claws to swat him away, but he leaped forward and cut at its main body. He evoked Helel and a fist came crashing down on the nearest head. Erebus seemed dazed, and with a few more follow up attacks, it finally fell to the ground, its body dissipating until there was no sign it had ever existed.

"We... did it..." Souji panted. "That was one hell of a Shadow..." He glanced around. Ken was leaning against his spear, but he seemed to be all right, and Koromaru was sitting on his hind legs, tongue lolling out in exhaustion.

Ken shook his head. "That wasn't a Shadow. I remember how Yamagishi-san told us that... It's kind of invincible, or rather, it'll be back... It's actually hundreds of humans' negativity gathered together."

"I thought that was what Shadows were made of," Souji said with a wry laugh that was made high in pitch due to giddy exhaustion. "But... the Seal... He's wounded."

They turned their attention to the Great Seal. Their Persona healing abilities seemed to have no effect on it: the statue continued to bleed profusely.

Not knowing what else to do, Souji gathered his remaining strength and climbed up the door. He reached out a hand and tentatively touched the statue.

He drew back as soon as his fingertips touched it, though his sleeve caught on the barbed wire. The statue was _warm._ He steeled himself and touched the largest scrape across the statue's chest, testing to see how deep the wound was. Rather deep... Dangerously deep. If a wound like that wasn't treated, it would definitely bleed out until the person died. Could Arisato die? He was already dead... but he was the Seal now. Could the Seal die?

Souji cut off a piece of his Gekkoukan jacket with his katana, which was rather easy to do since it was already in tatters from the fight with Erebus. He pressed the cloth to the gaping wound, trying to stem the flow of blood. He wasn't bad at first aid—he'd done it enough last year, on himself and on his friends...

But it wasn't working, and the Seal was growing colder... its life flow ebbing between his very fingers.

His head began to pound. He could hear Ken-chan calling at him, but he couldn't make out the boy's words.

Something, something, he had to do _something._ The Seal couldn't be allowed to break. Erebus would be back. Maybe not soon, but it would be back. And no one was going to make a new Seal before then.

He looked into the Seal's face, Arisato's face. The man seemed to be at peace. Arisato had looked Death straight on without fear, without regrets.

Souji brushed the statue's head with a blood-covered hand, smearing the blood in its stone hair. He cupped the statue's chin as tears began to flow from his eyes.

A new Seal...

No, no, he couldn't do this. His head was _pounding,_ screaming at him, forcing him to see what had to be, but he couldn't, he couldn't, he couldn't...

He couldn't leave Nanako-chan. She would never see him again, never know what happened. He couldn't leave Yosuke, or Chie, or Yukiko, or Kanji, or anyone really, not like this, not in such a permanent way. There was a lifetime of Pheromone Coffee ahead of him—and he still hadn't succeeded in finding out if Keiko-san liked coffee—and he couldn't let her fear of befriending transfer students be justified—and the Bullied Teacher book series had started again due to popular demand, and he hadn't caught Tatsumi Port Island's version of the Sea Guardian—it had to have one, right?—or any fish there really, and his exams were next week, and he hadn't yet resolved things with his parents, and he hadn't figured out where 'home' really was, and he forgot to tell Yosuke about Labrys, and he had too many regrets, and...

He was too selfish, too selfish, there had to be another way.

He was sobbing now, Ken-chan screeching at him, Koromaru howling...

There was no other way.

He rubbed away the tears, but only managed to smear Arisato's blood into his eyes. He gulped air and calmed himself. It had to be done.

He would have gladly given his life for his friends in the fight against Izanami. What made this any different?

Because he'd lost his nerve after that battle, after seeing all his friends die in his stead, that's what. Sure, they had been returned to him alive and well in the end, but...

He took in a deep breath. He could do this.

He placed his hands on either side of the statue's head, caressed it almost lovingly, and nodded at Arisato. He forced his mind to calm, reached out to the pounding within it, and—

—was abruptly yanked away. He fell to the floor, ready to throw a curse at Ken-chan, but... it hadn't been Ken or Koromaru.

"That's enough of that." A woman in blue with short white hair and otherworldly yellow eyes floated next to the Seal, an open book floating along beside her.

"Elizabeth-san?" Souji croaked.

"My sister would never forgive me if I'd let you go through with that," she said, "and although I'm sure he would appreciate your bravery, I must inform you that it is grossly misplaced." She drew the book into her hands, and a blue light emanated from it as she flipped its pages, washing over the Seal. When it dissipated, all of the statue's wounds were closed.

Souji laughed in relief until he cried.


	18. Chapter 18 - Reach Out to the

"Forgive my latency," Elizabeth said. She had moved from the Seal's side to speak with them on the same level, but she still floated about a foot above the invisible ground. "Under ordinary circumstances, I take care of the beast myself, but my wanderings took me farther afield than normal. I did not sense its return until recently. I must thank you for taking care of it in my absence."

"Why could Erebus hurt the seal?" Ken asked her. "I thought it wasn't supposed to be able to..."

Elizabeth sighed. "It seems an old dog can learn new clicks." A frown marred her face. "Bricks? Flicks?"

Koromaru whined at the use of a dog metaphor, and Souji opened his mouth to correct her, but she kept on talking, heedless. "Erebus found, perhaps, a place of weakness." She turned her Shadow-like yellow eyes on Souji. "I wonder if perhaps you see the 'link'?"

Souji blinked at her and thought of Igor and the Velvet Room. "_Social_ links?"

"Indeed... A Shadow identifying itself with Erebus targeted my guest's social links, disabling them one by one." Her knowing eyes caught Souji's. "The Seal does not need them to exist, but... I'm sure you see their importance. Imagine yours suddenly breaking... It is, perhaps, what brought forth the Dark Hour's return. I suggest you find that Shadow. Regrettably, it is out of my hands... It has to be your responsibility."

"Do you know where it is?" Souji asked. "It's disabled our scanner, and it seems to be hidden from scan, anyway. We can't defeat it if we can't find it."

Elizabeth adjusted one of her gloves. "It's _very_ close to home."

"It's in Inaba?" Souji yelped.

Her strange eyes blinked at him curiously. "His home," she clarified, glancing at the Seal.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Ken asked.

Elizabeth gestured, and a door appeared before them. "Please take care..."

* * *

The door took them to the Iwatodai dormitory's roof. A disorienting moment later, the green tint faded away, and the Dark Hour ended, returning them to real time.

Exhaustion kicked in as Souji staggered towards the roof's door. "Ken-kun," Souji said. "Maybe you should stay here… take Yamagishi-san's room for the night."

The boy didn't answer. Souji glanced back to see that Ken was trembling with his hands balled into fists. "Seta-san… You stupid…!" Ken ran forward and pounded his fists into Souji's chest. "What were you thinking!?"

Souji peered down at the boy.

"Stupid, stupid!" the boy sobbed. "Were you trying to die?"

At a loss for words, Souji awkwardly patted his back. He hadn't realized how important he had become to the middle-schooler. Another point of selfishness… It occurred to him that Ken may have some acceptance of death for himself, but not for others.

As the boy continued to cry, though, he suspected it wasn't just for him. He was crying for Arisato as well.

* * *

They headed downstairs to the lounge. Souji whipped up a quick snack in the kitchen to tide them over. It was well past midnight, but there was still a lot he wanted to discuss, and very little of it had to do with the night's events.

"Ken-kun," Souji began. "You said before that you were trying to have a normal childhood... and that Mitsuru-san was no longer involving you in fighting Shadows... Is that still true?"

Ken hummed. "Well, having a Persona means I'll always have to deal with Shadows, doesn't it? Our adventure was proof of that."

"Yeah..." Souji sighed. "I can't imagine a normal life, now, and neither can one of my friends. But I was wondering if you would like to stay in the dark, because there is a lot Mitsuru-san hasn't told you. It's not fair, after all this, that you don't know. You've trusted me with so much tonight..."

The boy's mouth quirked. "I'm sure there is a lot I don't know. Yes, I'd like to be informed."

Souji gave him a weak smile and proceeded to tell him about Inaba, his friends, the TV World, Golden Week, Labrys, and the Shadow Operatives. Ken listened with rapt attention, only interrupting for clarification or to ask a question here and there.

"I wonder if Mitsuru-san plans to invite you to join the Shadow Operatives when you're older," Souji said. "I had to ask to join, myself, but it seemed to be a problem since I'm still in high school."

Ken chewed his lower lip. "I suppose right now they are working hard to find that malevolent entity..."

"Well, they would be, if it wasn't for the sudden Apathy Syndrome. Elizabeth-san said the cause was close to home..." Souji noted. When Ken tried to suppress a yawn, he added, "I think we're close to solving this... but we should probably call it a night, huh?"

The boy blinked away tears born out of tiredness. "Y-yeah... You said there was a room I could use here?"

* * *

When Souji's alarm woke him up just a few hours later, Ken was gone. He checked Fuuka's room, just in case, and asked Koromaru, but it seemed the boy had somehow found the energy to head to school.

Souji sighed. Yeah, school. He should go, too. He'd rarely skipped last year during the murder investigation, no matter how exhausted he had been after a day of fighting Shadows in the TV World. He made himself a quick breakfast, let the dog out, and then made his way to school.

Most of the day he was lost in thought, digesting what had happened the previous night. The Shadow was close to home—Arisato's home. Souji didn't know where Arisato had lived, but it wasn't a great leap of faith to believe that, having been a member of SEES, he'd lived for a time in the Iwatodai dormitory—probably up until his death, which had so affected his social links.

Souji had explored all of the dorm except for that locked room on the second floor.

So, there. That's where he suspected it was.

He spent the lunch period in the classroom with Keiko-san, yearning to ask her for details about her brother now that he knew that Kenji had been one of Arisato's social links, but not wanting to renege on his promise that he'd ask her no questions. It made for an awkward lunch; still depressed about her brother's condition, she did not contribute much to the conversation, and Haruka couldn't keep it going because she was enjoying lunch elsewhere with her boyfriend. Taishi, too, was away—he always used the lunch period as a chance to get out of his seat and walk around.

Souji called Ken once class was finally over. "If you have the energy, we should meet tonight. There is something that needs to be done. It might be dangerous," he warned.

"More dangerous than what we've already done?" Ken asked. He sounded like he was joking, but all Souji could hear was the tiredness in his voice. "I'll see you at the dorm tonight, then."

* * *

"This room…" Souji said, standing before the locked door on the dorm's second floor. He pressed his fingers against the door and trailed them down it.

"Arisato-san's room?" Ken said. He hummed. "You think it's important? You might not be wrong."

"Because it's locked," Souji told him. "It's bothered me ever since I started living here." Like it was hiding a skeleton in the closet, so to speak. "And I never found a key."

"I'd assume Aigis-san has it," Ken said. "You haven't been able to contact her, have you?"

"I haven't. Was she close to Arisato?"

"You have no idea."

Souji nodded. He'd suspected she was another of his social links. That a robot could be afflicted by Apathy Syndrome... Well, the condition was Shadow-induced. At this point, Souji wouldn't be surprised if Koromaru suddenly came down with it. Souji himself had a social link with a fox, why not a dog?

Trying the doorknob, he wished Naoto was here; she'd be able to unlock the door with one of her detective tools. Or maybe Kanji would be able to break it down. Without him, Souji would have to try that himself. How strong were these dorm locks...? He smashed at the doorknob over and over again with his katana's hilt. Fortunately the doorknob broke before his fingers did.

He opened the door, katana in hand, and felt a nauseating chill when he stepped within the room.

He was greeted by stale air.

This room... It looked hardly lived in. Not that Souji was the best judge when it came to that; his own room here in the dorm was undecorated, the poorly tucked-in bedsheets the only sign he inhabited it. In any case, the room's walls were bare, the shelves empty, everything covered with almost three years worth of dust. Of course, the room could have been cleared out after the man's death...

Koromaru started sneezing and had to be guided back outside to fresher air.

"I've never been in his room," Ken said quietly. "But it feels strange here."

Souji eyed the TV with suspicion. He went over to it and touched the screen. Solid glass. He let out a small sigh of relief.

He invited Ken to sit in the desk chair while he sat on the bed. A cloud of dust ballooned out, tickling his nose. He held it in, but Ken sneezed.

He asked Ken to tell him about Arisato. The boy did, haltingly at first, and then with ease. Ken hadn't been too close to anyone in SEES (except Koromaru), but he had seen how everyone, even Mitsuru, relied on Arisato for guidance. Ken himself had bonded with Arisato mainly over movies and walking Koromaru at night.

Arisato had been a quiet man, quieter even than Souji. He'd loved music, always kept a set of headphones on him and a cylindrical-style MP3 player. He slept like a rock and was always the last one to get up in the morning. And he was so laid back that he almost always had his hands in his pockets.

He'd also been popular with the girls in SEES. A bit of a heartbreaker, even. Souji hid a smile behind his palm upon hearing that. Souji reminded both Mitsuru-san and Aigis-san of him, huh...

"I left the team once," Ken admitted. "Ran away from home—from here. Takeba-san later told me that Arisato-san had told everyone to leave me alone, not to try and find me. It wasn't that he didn't care, but that he respected my decision. Maybe he trusted that I'd return... It might not seem like much, but remember that I was only eleven. To be treated like an adult left a large impact on me."

Souji felt a twinge of guilt for calling him 'Ken-chan.'

"And when I did return, he didn't ask me any questions," Ken added. "Junpei didn't really trust me after all that, but... Arisato-san did."

They continued speaking until the Dark Hour came upon them. He felt it immediately, even if he couldn't see it—the bonds to Arisato were not severed, but redirected somehow into this very room. Ken didn't seem affected. Since he wasn't a Wild Card, he probably couldn't feel the pull of the bonds.

Lacking other ideas, Souji touched the TV in the room. The screen rippled. Then a gale-force wind came from it, blowing him back until he was knocked from his feet. As his head hit the ground, he lost consciousness.

* * *

He wasn't sure where he was, but, yeah, now he could actually see the links—lines of yellow glimmering around him. He could hear their voices, too.

_I was so mad when you stole my egg... But I'd let you have all my boiled eggs if you could only be here..._

A sense of regret began to grow within Souji.

_It feels like I've buried my son twice now..._

_I should have made you a model when I had the chance..._

_You're supposed to marry me when I grow up...!_

_Tatsuya... I found someone to be my Katsuya... He's even a policeman... But is that okay...?_

The regret was becoming stronger now, surging into him.

_We never had a chance to ride my motorcycle together..._

_You promised you'd be there to meet my mom..._

_I don't know what to do with the headphones I made for you..._

And there were others, too. As they spoke, the regret overflowed. Souji doubled over from trying to process it all.

Arisato's links were not exactly stuck in the past, but they all had regrets regarding him. Souji knew from experience that Shadows could latch onto even a small weakness and blow it out of proportion.

"You're doing it too. Regretting."

Souji was being addressed by a voice. It sounded familiar... but he couldn't place it.

"Naoki Konishi lived with it. Hundreds and hundreds of regrets over his sister."

Naoki...

"You neglected to tell Amada about Konishi."

Souji sighed. Naoki seemed more difficult to talk about than Izanami. "I know..."

"Amada," the voice went on, "has regrets over a man named Shinjiro Aragaki... but he's been able to move forward, regardless."

"I'm moving forward, too," Souji said.

"Indeed..."

"Memories..."

The voice continued. "Correct. The trick isn't to forget. It isn't to block out the pain of losing someone—but to be able to look back with fondness. To be able to remember the good times and bad times without focusing on the loss."

He needed to remember how he'd befriended Naoki. How Naoki had given him that handkerchief to use even after saying he hated Souji. How they'd shared steak skewers at Souzai Daigoku. The time they went to Junes together, and Naoki had met Yosuke while he was working. How Naoki had finally let himself grieve for Saki.

Naoki imagined a river separated him from his sister after her passing. And now... Naoki had crossed the river and was with her.

"Can you remember, too?" Souji whispered to the air. "How you'd befriended Arisato? Or how he had befriended you...?"

He felt the links respond, their lights pulsing until they faded from sight. The overwhelming sense of regret seemed to dissolve, too, and Souji let out his breath in relief, unaware that he had been holding it in the first place.

But with them gone, he was now alone in this empty place. He couldn't see an exit...

A force slammed him into the ground, knocking the wind out of him. As he struggled to get up, the voice that had spoken to him before returned. "My sister informed me of what happened at the Seal. Do not try that again."

Then the world faded around him.

* * *

Souji found himself flat on the floor in Arisato's room. Ken was looking at him with concern. "Seta-san! What was that...?" the boy asked.

The room was normal, the Dark Hour over even though it had only lasted a few minutes.

Souji took several moments to catch his breath, and then he sighed heavily. It wasn't easily explained. "I think that might have done it. I think the Shadow... It lurks in everyone's hearts, but it's subdued for now..."

Ken's eyes brightened with understanding. "I think I know exactly what you mean. Right after Arisato-san died, we ended up having to fight a Shadow that looked just like him. In fact, we thought it was him... But it was just our overwhelming desire to see him again that caused it to show up like that. We had closure when we saw the Seal..."

"...but his friends outside of SEES didn't," Souji finished. "And I wouldn't doubt that even with that closure, there will always be a missing part in everyone's hearts."

Ken nodded.

Souji was just glad that Ken wasn't one of Arisato's social links. He couldn't imagine having gone through Tartarus without him.

In fact... Souji took the opportunity to thank Ken for all of his help.

The boy shook his head with a small smile on his face that reminded him of Mitsuru. "Seta-san. Of course I'd help. You're not just my English tutor—you're my friend."

Souji looked at him with appreciation.

The strangely familiar sound of shattering glass filled his head, and time seemed to stop.

_Thou art I... And I am thou..._

_Thou hast established a new bond..._

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Adjustment Arcana..._

* * *

Souji couldn't quite place his finger on it, but Keiko-san was different the next day in class. She continued to read during the breaks between classes like normal, but her eyes seemed confident somehow instead of annoyed. When he tried to get up after school, he found her clutching his jacket's sleeve even with her face still focused on a book.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Come with me."

He nodded, and she released him. He sat back down and waited for her to finish reading. It took some time, and he started to worry because he had somewhere to be, but he realized she just wanted there to be fewer students around the school to see them walk together. Not a socialite, this girl.

Finally, she stood up and led him to the school's front gate with a spring in her step that Souji had never witnessed before.

The reason for her happiness soon became apparent. Standing there by the school gates in a formal-looking suit was her brother, Kenji Tomochika, smiling sheepishly upon seeing her.

In a rare display of emotion, Keiko ran right into Kenji's open arms. He allowed her to embrace him. He pretended to look annoyed, but then patted her on the back.

When Keiko stepped back, she wiped some tears from her eyes and then introduced Souji to her brother. "This is Seta-san. He came with me to the hospital to see you. And this is Kenji, you know. I was told he was better, but... I thought we could both use proof so I told my parents to have him come here."

"It is nice to meet you, Kenji-san," Souji said. "I'm glad you've recovered."

Kenji scratched his head awkwardly. "Y-yeah... I didn't mean to worry anyone, especially not her... So, you're that transfer student, huh...?"

Souji felt Kenji's burning curiosity as the man looked him up and down. He wondered if he reminded Kenji of Arisato as well...

"Well," Kenji said, "I hope my sis isn't bothering you too much. She's annoying, right?"

Keiko shoved him, but without any malice.

Kenji sighed. "Well, I've got to go to the college and sort things out since I missed so much... And I have to find Kaz... See you later, okay, sis?"

"Y-yeah, go on, then!" Keiko growled.

He laughed and waved behind him as he walked off.

"Have you ever called him 'big bro'?" Souji asked.

Keiko shot him an odd look. "No way. Like I'd call him anything _that_ informal! He's just a big jerk." But Keiko was smiling as they watched Kenji appear smaller in the distance.

"Keiko-san..." Souji said. She looked at him. "Unfortunately, I have to go now. But... Maybe sometime we could go for coffee?"

She blinked at him.

"You can invite Kenji-san, too, if you'd like," he added. "I don't mind."

"Seta-san." She tilted her head like a bird considering something new. "All right. Tomorrow?"

"Yeah," he promised, a smile stealing over his face.

* * *

Souji headed directly to the Kirijo office building. He'd received a message from Aigis asking him to visit. It seemed Aigis was back to normal, assuming she'd been a victim of Apathy Syndrome—Souji hadn't been able to confirm it, after all. After seeing Kenji, he suspected that everyone affected had been released.

He soon had proof: Mitsuru herself answered when he knocked on the penthouse's door. Her sharp red eyes were bright and full of life. "Ah, Seta! I hear we have you to thank for everyone's recovery. Please, come in."

Ken, Fuuka, and Aigis were already seated in the red velvet armchairs. Mitsuru introduced him to a woman with light brown hair: Yukari Takeba. She was wearing a pink sweater and black skirt.

"Now, Amada told us some of the story... Perhaps you could fill in the details?" Mitsuru prompted.

"First," Souji said, "I want you to know that I told Ken-kun about Golden Week and your special group, Mitsuru-san. I understand why you didn't tell him, but I felt he needed to know."

Mitsuru didn't seem very surprised. She nodded and glanced at the boy. "He has certainly earned the right, and then some. Amada... Well, we'll discuss that later. Please, tell us about the Shadow that caused this bout of Apathy Syndrome."

Souji told them how he'd learned of the Apathy Syndrome victims and discovered that Arisato could be the connection between them all. Unfortunately he'd been too late, since both Aigis and Mitsuru were affected. That same night, the Dark Hour had returned. He explained how he and Ken and Koromaru had traveled to the top and stopped Erebus from destroying the Seal. "After that, it was simply dealing with the emotions associated with the Shadow. It seemed like it was focused on people's regrets regarding Arisato-san."

He explained further his knowledge on how some Shadows can feed on emotion. Throughout the story, Fuuka typed rapidly on a laptop, probably recording everything to review later, adding to the Shadow Operatives' database.

"So Tartarus still exists," Mitsuru mused. "It's simply hidden within the Dark Hour, which itself is not eliminated, just mostly contained. But it could also be only a memory... This is a lot to take in. We owe you our thanks, Seta."

"Actually," Souji said slowly. "Now that this is over, I would like you to be honest with me, Mitsuru-san. This incident might not have gone so far if I hadn't been kept in the dark."

Yukari snorted, crossed her arms, and looked away from Mitsuru. "Hmph! Some things never change," she muttered under her breath.

"I know I should have asked more questions," Souji continued, "and Aigis-san even told me to talk to you directly, but... I think I should have at least been informed of the dorm's history."

The red-haired woman sighed. "No, you're quite right to feel this way. My reasoning had several layers. On some level, I wanted to see what you were capable of without being overshadowed by those that came before you. Tartarus, Nyx, Erebus... they are a heavy burden that I would rather not place upon your shoulders... and yet you found out about them, regardless. You are quite resourceful to have pieced together the mystery without your original team's assistance."

"Well, most of that was just asking Ken-kun to come clean with me," Souji admitted.

"But you were able to obtain Amada's trust. That alone is no mean feat." Mitsuru raised an eyebrow at Ken, affectionately teasing him, but the boy was scowling down at the glass-topped table. She looked back at Souji. "And the second reason is fear."

He waited, but she didn't continue. She seemed like she was having difficulty putting it into words.

"It is a fear for you," Aigis contributed. "Because you reminded us so starkly of _him,_ we were afraid of sending you down the same path."

"Arisato-san?"

"I don't see the resemblance," Yukari commented. "Nobody could ever be like him..."

"Seta is a wild card," Mitsuru told her, not unkindly. "The ability is rare, as you know..." She turned back to Souji. "I was afraid on some level to get to know you. I should have spent more time with you. I would have known then that you are quite unlike him."

"We were worried you would meet the same fate," Aigis admitted. "Foolish, perhaps, but—"

"Not really," Ken muttered. "He almost did."

Souji looked at his feet. He hadn't told them _that_ part of the story. "Well, it didn't happen."

Ken glared at him. "If it wasn't for Elizabeth-san...!"

"Elizabeth-san?" Aigis asked.

"Elizabeth-san is watching over the Seal," Souji explained. "She told us she normally takes care of Erebus. So, as long as she stays diligent, we shouldn't have to worry about this happening again."

"Then we will leave it to her," Mitsuru said, "and we will focus our efforts on Shadows in our world. Now, Amada... perhaps it's time to tell you more about the Shadow Operatives..."


End file.
